


Cold Comfort

by PeachyPansexual



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Like really slow cause they haven't met yet, Maya swears a lot, Maya's inner dialog is gonna start being a thing, Mo uses too much goddamn dialog, Multi, Slow Burn, We'll get there though, sorry ahead of time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 17:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 38,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7232074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeachyPansexual/pseuds/PeachyPansexual
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Camp Doomsday Tip: Your gun is your best friend, take care of it and it'll take care of you. Remember to squeeze the trigger, don't pull.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Barely Prepared

**Author's Note:**

> I lied, we ain't dead yet.
> 
> Thank you, Fallout 76.

“Prepared for the future!” the man in yellow assured them. She signed their names on the sheet: Gilliam-Acerbi, Maya, Ewan, Shaun. Shaun. He was crying when Codsworth called her back. 

“Ms. Maya,” Codsworth had said, but the words were just outside the edge of her hearing, or her understanding, she wasn’t sure which. She held Shaun and coddled him when Ewan took him from her arms.  _No, I should be holding him._  She couldn’t focus on her husband’s words. Something about the park? Carving pumpkins? She smiled and agreed and  _no I need to hold Shaun we need to run and hide_. 

“Mum? I think you need to see this!” Bad news. Of course it was bad news, it was always bad news. She could feel her mouth form the words ‘stay safe honey’ but she couldn’t hear them over the sound of running. The faces, the path, the panicked voices all blurred together in a haze that the explosion burned away, leaving light and heat and fear in its place.  _Not the vault. I’d rather burn than freeze._

Horrified voices chattered about the narrowly missed obliteration while calmer ones soothed and lied and led them to a quieter one.  _Get out get out get out!_  They moved obediently down the hallways to the pods that awaited. 

“I’ve got you, Shaun. See? Mommy’s right here.” Ewan comforted quietly. She held the baby's hand and her husband’s cheek.

“I love you. Both of you.”  _Did I really say that?_  He pressed his cheek into her hand, held hers with his free one; the cool metal of his prosthetic had always been a comfort. 

“I love you too. See you on the other side, anam cara.” 

Then there was quiet and cold and strangers that shouldn’t have been there. They opened Ewan’s pod and he fought so hard to keep Shaun.  _No_ _no_ _no_ _no_ _no_ _, please God no!_  She tried to scream but the sound stuck in her throat. Then the bastard shot him, blood spattered and froze against the back of the pod in slow motion. She bruised her knuckles against the glass trying to get to them.

“Feisty, aren’t you? Better safe than sorry.” The man with the scar smiled and leveled the gun at her.  _Let me out let me out face me like a man you murderous fuck!_  He pulled the hammer back in slow motion, the cylinder clicked into place and-

Maya woke up terrified when she threw her arms up to defend against a bullet that never came. Her throat was raw from trying to scream and her heart pounded in her ears while she gasped for breath. Codsworth floated nearby with a bottle of cold water in his claw. Even after two centuries he knew the drill with her attacks. He was dedicated, even if he hadn’t truly been programmed for it in a very long time. Granted, with his own breakdown she felt a little bit guilty in letting her cousin jailbreak the poor bot.

Sunlight still filtered in through the cracks in the ceiling in Shaun’s room, though there was less of it. She let Codsworth press the water into her hand while she checked the time on her pip-boy. 6 pm; she’d only managed three hours of sleep but after that nightmare she was certain she wouldn’t be able to manage more for another week. She downed the water in one go then thought for a moment.  _Can’t sleep, so I might as well move._

“Codsworth.”

“Yes, Ms. Maya?”

“You said there were people in Concord? Did you happen to catch how many?” Maya pushed herself up off the ground. 

“If I had to wager a guess, I’d estimate a few dozen. Though most were throwing things and taking potshots at me. If you’re considering going, I must ask that you be careful mum.” Codsworth replied. The concern in his tone was clear enough she would swear she could see it in his optics. “I believe there are some supplies at the Red Rocket coolant station nearby. I could go with you if you’d like.”

“Thanks, but no. You stay here and hold down the fort. I need some time to think.” She said and made her way through her house.  _After this long does it still count as mine?_  At the very least, nobody else seemed to have laid a claim on it, or on the last meager supplies she and Codsworth had scraped together looking for Shaun and Ewan.  _Don’t think about them yet, you’ll just see it again._  Maya collected what little they found from the counter and made her way to the edge of town. 

She’d been friends with Rosa, maybe not close friends, but better than most of the other neighbors. She saw the station rise up in the distance and part of her half expected to see the woman still working on that old Corvega, even despite the wreckage. Not anymore. Maya had the brief thought about how she felt as gutted as the ruined homes of her old neighborhood, followed by a more irritated one about how this wasn’t the time for poetic bullshit. She needed to find other people. She needed to find her son. 

She needed to duck.

Mole rats the size of dogs sprang out of the ground, catching her off guard. One leapt at her face before she could get a weapon up, but it was gone in a blur of black and brown, dead before it heard the snarl and crack of its own neck. That gave her the opening she needed. She whipped out the baton she’d found in the vault and cracked it against the head of another rat. More snarling and squeaking behind her, and she hoped that her rescuer wasn’t saving her for themself. Three solid hits and the mole rat was dead. Her helper had cleared out the rest quickly and was now sitting patiently in front of her, tongue lolling and tail wagging. The German Shepherd looked up at her expectantly.  _Seems friendly enough._

“Hey there, boy. Were you looking out for me? You aren’t lost, are you?” she knelt down to scratch his ears and he propped his paws on her shoulders, giving her cheek a thorough licking. “Hey! That tickles! Ack, not the ear! Oh god, you’ve still got rat guts on your face!” He dropped back and whined sadly. “I appreciate the help but your face is still gross. Ugh, and so’s mine now.” She wiped her cheek on the sleeve of her vault suit and grimaced at the red. “I’m gonna see if I can find anything useful here and head to Concord. You wanna come with?” He barked sharply and perked up like he wanted her to follow, but he seemed tense too.  _Not the best sign._  “Lemme see what I can find, then we'll go. I take it not everyone there is friendly?” Another sharp bark while she picked through toolboxes. “I’m not gonna regret following you, am I?” A sad whine while she cleared out the first aid kit. He trotted up to her with what looked like a tangle of leather belts. One for ammo, one with pockets, and one with a built-in weapon holster. A couple of shoulder pieces too. Better than nothing but the jumpsuit. “Fine, but if I get shot I’m blaming you and I’m… I am… talking to a dog.” She sighed and dropped her forehead into her hands, sliding down the wall she was leaned against. “I’m talking to a dog. And trusting him not to get me killed.” He nosed at her hand and she hauled herself back up to her feet. “Alright pooch. Let’s go.”

The walk to Concord wasn’t long, but she took advantage of what time she had to strap the newfound armor on.  _Hopefully it won’t be too dark by the time we get there._  Further down the road, Maya picked through more empty houses hoping to find people, or at least signs of them. No luck there, but she wasn’t too proud to leave the meds and (admittedly ancient) food behind. Back outside, Dogmeat had his ears flat against his skull and she could just hear him growling over a persistent hum. 

“What’s wrong boy—JESUS FUCK WHAT THE HELL!” At the end of the street were three mosquitos. Massive ones, straight out of a horror film or her worst damn nightmares, each with a nose like a goddamn fencing foil.  _Nope_ _nope_ _nuh_ _-uh I am not doing this shit, fuck they’re moving too fast, can’t run, goddammit shit fuck._  The baton came out because her hands were shaking too hard to aim a gun straight, but this scared she could fight like a demon up close. So she charged blind, screeching and fighting like a hellcat until the hum of wings was replaced with blood rushing in her ears, insect guts squishing under her boots, and the dog whining quietly at her side while she tried to calm down. She was pretty sure he’d done most of the work there but she still wasn’t exactly thrilled at the encounter. “Sorry pooch. I do NOT like bugs.” Her heart was still hammering, but it was getting dark fast and they needed to keep moving.

She followed the dog further down the road and closer to the sounds of what she really hoped were firecrackers. No such luck.A full-blown firefight had broken out down the street leading up to the museum.

“Yup. I’m gonna get fuckin shot.” she muttered. “Alright boy. I’m gonna drop them, you make sure they stay dropped, okay? Stay low and quiet.” The dog huffed quietly and crept up the street. She honestly hadn’t expected that to work, and she hoped his red bandana wouldn’t make him too easy to spot. The group ahead of her was firing up at someone on the balcony at the end of the street. Judging by the red light that briefly illuminated the people below, someone with a laser weapon. As loud as the others’ weapons were cracking, she hoped they wouldn’t notice her own unsilenced shots until she’d dropped a couple of them. Grandad’s old lessons floated up in her head. Slow breaths, watch for the moment they pause, exhale, and squeeze the trigger.

In the moonlight the blood that sprayed out of the man’s head looked almost black. Maya clenched her jaw and swallowed hard against the wave of nausea. She lined her next shot up to the tune of two trains of thought clamoring in her head. _I just fucking killed a man oh god I’m_ _gonna_ _throw up_  and  _Guess I’m glad mom made me go to Grandad Lee’s damn apocalypse training every summer_. Another shooter dropped and she tried to force down another wave of nausea as the dog leapt from the shadows to finish them. The men on the street were starting to realize they were under attack and were making their way toward her. The nearest one, brandishing a shotgun, screamed when he was struck by a bolt of red light and reduced to a smoldering pile of ash.  _Looks like they weren’t the only ones that noticed._  With two people and the dog, the work was quick, albeit sloppy. She’d been grazed by more than one shot and wasn’t looking forward to trying to patch the new holes in the vault suit.

“Hey! Up here on the balcony! I’ve got a group of settlers in here but the raiders are almost through the door! Grab that laser musket and help us! Please!” She couldn’t see the man very well in the dark but he sounded as scared as she was, maybe more, which was a feat in and of itself. She jogged up to the end of the street to where he had pointed and grabbed the bag of fusion cells and what was probably the strangest laser rifle she’d ever seen.  _Crank loaded? Weird, but straightforward enough._  Maya was low on 10 mm ammo anyway. The dog scrabbled at the door to the old museum while she tucked the pistol away and pointedly ignored the fact she was looting a body that was still fairly warm. 

“So this was a rescue, huh boy?” she asked as she cracked the door. He was already off, either to find the settlers or to start tearing throats. Much like everything from the last day or so, her fight upstairs was a blur of barely-suppressed-panic-attack. At least with the laser turning raiders into ash she felt less sick killing people. Almost easy to push down that nauseated feeling in her gut if she didn’t have to look at a body. She did her best to stay hidden while she fought, which would have been a lot easier with a gun that didn’t go  **‘** **choooomm** **’**  and shoot red lightning. Despite the panicked rush she was moving at, it still felt too slow making her way through the ruined building with other lives on the line. But finally the remains of last raider fluttered to the floor like snow and Maya made her way to the door the dog was pacing impatiently in front of.  

“Hello? They’re gone. You guys are clear for now.” she said cautiously. The door cracked and the dog forced his way through eagerly. 

“Man, I don’t know who you are, but your timing is impeccable. Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen.” Her rescuer from earlier introduced and offered his hand. He was certainly friendlier than the first people she’d run into,  _not that that’d take much,_  but clearly anxious and exhausted. Maya could relate. She took the handshake, which was oddly grounding after the haze of the fight. “You from around here?”

“Ehh, yes and no. You said you’re part of the Minutemen?” she deflected. She didn’t really want to explain and have them brush her off as a crazy person. There was no way they’d believe it. Hell,  _she_  barely believed it.

“Protect the Commonwealth at a minute’s notice. That was the idea, so I joined up. Wanted to make a difference and I did, but things fell apart. Now it looks like I’m the last Minuteman standing.” Preston explained, shifting from foot to foot nervously. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. And these people?” she asked. A woman pacing angrily, a man curled up against a desk, an old woman that the dog had settled next to, and another man typing at a computer terminal. 

“Just folks looking for a new home, a fresh start. I’ve been with them since Quincy, Lexington looked promising but the ghouls drove us outta there.” He sighed, his tone almost defeated. “A month ago there were twenty of us, yesterday there were eight, and now we're five. There’s me, the Longs- Marcy and Jun, that’s old Mama Murphy on the couch, and this here’s Sturges.”

“Hey there!” Sturges said, waving a hand but not looking up from the terminal. He sounded weirdly chipper for a guy whose life was being threatened by raiders not two minutes ago. 

“Uh, hi. Wait. Ghouls?” Maya asked.  _Please don’t be worse than giant fucking bugs._

“Wow, you really aren’t from around here, are you?” Preston said and raised an eyebrow. “Ghouls are irradiated people. Most are just like you and me. They look pretty messed up and live for a long time, but they’re still just people. But the ones I’m talking about are different. The radiation’s rotted their brains and made them feral. They’ll rip you apart just as soon as look at you.”  _Goddammit. Radioactive zombies. Delightful._  “Anyway, we figured Concord would be a safe place to settle. Those raiders proved us wrong. But… well we do have one idea.”

“Alright then, I’m all ears.” Maya said, happy to focus on something other than the fact that there were things out here worse than giant bugs.  _Not fucking surprised, not_ _gonna_ _think about it right now._

“Sturges? Tell her.”

“There’s a crashed vertibird up on the roof. Old school, prewar, you might have seen it.” Sturges stood up to explain.  _Dear god this guy is big._  “Well it looks like one of its passengers left behind a seriously sweet goody. We’re talking a full suit of cherry T-45 power armor. Military issue.”

“And that’s just been, what, sitting there?” Maya was mildly skeptical. There had to be a catch. 

“Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s outta juice, probably has been for a hundred years. It can be powered up again though, and when you do you’ll have protection plus an added bonus. You’ll be able to rip the minigun right off the vertibird and give the last of those raiders an express ticket to Hell.” Maya’s stomach turned at the thought of more killing but those raiders certainly didn’t think twice about putting her down. She had the soon-to-be scars to prove it. 

“Alright, so how do I go about getting this thing working again?” she asked. 

“You’ll need an FC, a standardized fusion core. It’s a high quality nuclear battery used by the military and some of the companies way back when. We know right where to find one.” Preston said. 

“But we can’t get to the damn thing. It’s down in the basement behind a security gate. Look, I fix stuff, I tinker. Bypassing security ain’t exactly my forte.” Sturges added.

“Alright, I’ll take a crack at it. Maglocks or no?” Maya asked. 

“Nah, just a regular lock.” Sturges said.

“Good. If I can’t hack it I might be able to pick it.” she said. She made to leave but the dog whined plaintively. “What, you want to introduce someone, pooch?” He wagged his tail and dropped his head into the old woman’s lap.

“You’re not what I expected Dogmeat to find in that old neighborhood, but you’re so much better.” Mama Murphy said. There was something about the old woman that reminded Maya of her Grandmama Lee.

“Dogmeat? So he’s yours?” Maya asked. The old woman shook her head and smiled. 

“Oh, he ain’t my dog, no ma’am. Dogmeat, he’s what you call his own man. Can’t own a free spirit like him, but he chooses his friends and sticks with ‘em. He’ll stay by you now. I saw it.” Mama Murphy explained.  _This is_ _gonna_ _get weird, isn’t it._

“You… saw it?” Maya asked. 

“It’s the chems, kid. They give ol’ Mama Murphy ‘the Sight’. Been that way for as long as I remember.” Maya tried to keep her mind from immediately jumping to the word ‘junkie.’  _You’ve got no room to talk, you damn lush._

“And… what exactly do you see?”

“I see a bit of what was, and what will be. And even what is, right now.” Murphy’s tone shifted from hazy to distressed. “A- and now, I can see something coming, drawn by the noise and the chaos. And it is angry.”  _Well that’s cryptic and unsettling._

“Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?” Maya pressed, hoping maybe some details would help. Mama Murphy closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and hesitated for a moment. 

“I see… I see… Oh it's horrible, kid. Claws and teeth and horns. The very face of death itself. I’m sorry. But that’s all I got, I’m tired now. And if I’m not mistaken, you got a job to do.” she said, and Maya wished she’d left well enough alone as she headed for the basement. She found herself jumping at the boards creaking under her feet and hoping that the old rotting stairs would hold her long enough to get down and back up. She did manage to avoid tripping down the massive hole into the basement, but still ended up sliding ungracefully down the rubble to the terminal. 

Working in aunt Trisha’s computer repair shop apparently paid off. It was an old system that Maya was familiar enough with to find an exploit and pop the door open fairly quickly. She pulled the core out of the generator quietly humming behind the gate and tucked it into one of the belt pouches. Then it was back up the stairs and through the ruined building to a worried looking Preston who told her that it had to be her. Even if Sturges was big, he wasn’t much in a fight.  _And I am? Dammit I’m a lawyer, not a fighter._

“What’s one vault dweller gonna do? This one doesn’t even look a day out of the ground!” the other woman, Marcy snapped. 

“Well you’re right, I’ve been out for about ten hours now, and you heard the plan. Power armor, minigun, possibly a mystery monster. Also please don’t talk about me like I’m not standing right here.” Maya replied in a tone only slightly less sharp than Marcy’s. She glared at Maya as she headed up the stairs to retrieve the armor. 

Putting the fusion core in the armor was straightforward enough, as was getting in. As for fitting comfortably? Not so much. It was too tight across her hips, her chest, her gut, her everything, but was still tall enough she felt like she was floating in it. She’d definitely have to readjust it if she planned on using it again. Despite the discomfort, she couldn’t help but feel powerful pulling the minigun off the vertibird like they were held together by rubber bands and then stepping off the building like she was coming down off of the sidewalk. Eight raiders swiveled around to where she’d landed, each marked on her HUD’s compass as a little red dot. Easier to shoot a red dot than a person, and that's what she focused on to keep from being sick inside her helmet. 

A flash of red and a muffled thrum told her that Preston was providing support from the balcony again. Six down, two to go, but a third marker popped up on the suit’s HUD. The screaming from the raiders and the roar that ripped through the air told her that maybe the old woman wasn’t as batty as she assumed. It was dark, but even as far away as it was she could see in the moonlight that it was big, bloodthirsty, and not to be fucked with. Unfortunately at this point she didn’t have much of a choice. It ripped apart the two last raiders, set its sights on her, and charged. 

Up close, she’d say it looked like a dinosaur, if there was a dinosaur made entirely of nightmares and she didn’t wait to see if it really had ‘the very face of death itself’ before she started firing. She was halfway up the street from the museum now, so there wasn’t an immediate risk of it going after Preston, who was still laying down as much covering fire as he could. Instead  _she_  had its full attention and it was bearing down fast, shrugging off bullets like they were goddamn marshmallows. Next thing she knew, it was on top of her and the minigun was just out of reach.  _Shit_ _shit_ _shit_ _._  The monster was snarling in her face and clawing at her armor, and the rush of cool air through the vault suit told her that it was tearing through the chest plate and into the frame.  _SHIT_ _SHIT_ _SHIT_ _._  

Suddenly it reached up, pain seared across the left side of her face, metal screeched apart around her head, and she felt its foul breath seep into her skin.  _This is it, this is how I die._  Red light shot through the air and hit the thing right in the eye, giving Maya the opening she so desperately needed. She braced her feet against its stomach and kicked out hard, sending it reeling back long enough to get hold of the minigun. It was back on top of her in seconds and though she was pinned on her back again, this time she had a weapon. She jammed the barrel up under the ridge of its ribs and fired. Three seconds of uninterrupted fire and the hell-dinosaur was dead on top of her. 

“Holy fuck I’m alive.” she said shakily to nobody in particular and shoved the thing off herself. Maya collected the scraps of her armor that had been sheared from the frame, took a moment to lean against a wall, then doubled over and promptly lost what little was in her stomach. “Ugh, god. Least it wasn’t in the helmet,” again, to no one in particular. She took a few minutes to at least try and compose herself before heading back to check on the others. She pressed the cold metal of the back of her arm to her forehead, sucked down a few deep breaths, and made her way up the street and back into the museum.  

“Take it easy, Mama. Are you okay?” Preston hovered over Mama Murphy only to be waved away irritably. 

“I’m fine, Preston, quit fussing.”

“You guys all okay?” Maya asked, trying not to sound too strained. Dogmeat bounded up to her, apparently thrilled at her return. 

“Yeah, no thanks to the Minutemen. If you hadn’t shown up, we’d all be dead.” Marcy said, one hand stuffed in her pocket, the other on Jun’s shoulder. 

“That… was a pretty amazing display. Glad you’re on our side.” Preston said. Maya put a hand to her face and winced because of the wound, switched hands and carded it through her hair.

“Yeah about that, the display I mean. I have a question, and don’t think I’m angry at you or anything, I’ve just had a very long day. Woke up, expected a normal, boring day only to have a nuke dropped on my head; me, my family, and neighbors frozen by Vault-Tec without consent; my son stolen, husband shot, and friends left to die; and finally wake up to find that two goddamn centuries have passed!” Maya’s voice cracked, her voice as strained as her smile. A tense beat passed as everyone stared at her in silence. “Anyway, and like I said, don’t think I’m mad at you. But I have a question.” She inhaled deeply. “WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK WAS THAT THING THAT JUST RIPPED MY ARMOR OFF AND TRIED TO EAT ME LIKE A GODDAMN CAN OF BEANS?!” The settlers all recoiled at the surprising volume that came out of such a small woman. 

“That,” Preston started cautiously, “was a deathclaw. Not many people survive a fight with one even with armor and a heavy weapon like that.”  _Deathclaw_ _, yeah that’s fucking apt._  “You asked about the Minutemen earlier. One thing about us, we help out our friends. Take these.” Fusion cells and… bottlecaps? Maya raised an eyebrow. “It’s money.” He explained.

“Alright then. So what’s next for you all?” Maya asked, trying to stop shaking after her outburst. 

“Mama Murphy’s been having visions of a place called Sanctuary for a long time. Some old neighborhood, but one we can make new again.” He said. She felt bad stepping on the moment of hope but the words were out before she could stop them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Preston tilted his head. “Small world. That’s my old neighborhood. Not very far now.”

“Well then we can go back with you, we could really use your help.” Preston said, almost like he was asking for permission. 

“What would I need to do?” she asked. 

“You’d need to stay strong, like you been. Cause there’s more to your destiny, I’ve seen it. And I know your pain.” Mama Murphy said. 

“Shaun. What do you know?” Maya asked, the impending panic attack replaced with laser focus. 

“You’re a woman out of time. Out of hope. But all’s not lost. I can feel your son’s energy. He’s alive!” the old woman assured her. Maya dropped to one knee.

“Please, where is my son? Where’s Shaun?” God, but she was practically begging, and she could see the regret on Mama Murphy’s face as the old woman shook her head. 

“I wish I knew kid, I really do. But it’s not like I can see your son. I can just feel his life force, his energy. He’s out there. And even I don’t need the Sight to tell you where to start looking. The great green jewel of the Commonwealth, Diamond City. Biggest settlement around.” she explained. It was a better lead than Maya woke up with at the very least.

“Alright. Thank you.” She stood up and addressed the rest of the group. “We ready to head out?” 

The settlers trailed behind her, headed for Sanctuary. Maya passed the minigun to Marcy in favor of hauling the deathclaw carcass back after Sturges mentioned how long it would feed them. The trip back was faster than the one she had made on her own, even with the extra weight. Codsworth was thrilled to have company for dinner for the first time in 200 years and lent an eager hand in setting up places for everyone to settle in. After getting everyone set up in Rosa’s old house, she headed back to Red Rocket to hang up the new suit of power armor. 

A knock on the side of the garage door caught her attention. “So, didn’t catch your name there, hero.” Apparently Sturges had followed her to the garage.

“Oh, uh. Maya. Maya A-,” she paused for a second and reconsidered. “Maya Ace. Call me Maya. Or Ace, either works. Did I forget something?” The big guy didn’t seem like a threat but she couldn’t help the hum of nerves at being alone with a stranger.  _Well Dogmeat is here. That counts for something?_

“Nah, just figured I’d come check on your face, that ‘claw got you pretty good.” he said. He wasn’t wrong. The gouges had bled heavily enough that her eye was crusted shut. She hoped she wasn’t blind in it. “Plus I was curious about the person Mama Murphy has been going on about for the last week.” He pulled out a clean rag, some vodka, a couple of stimpaks, some bandages and tape, and what looked to be cornstarch. “May I?” he asked, holding up the rag and the vodka. 

“Uh. Sure. So what’d she say about me? Do I wanna know? Agh, easy! That stings. Maybe save me a swig of that?” Maya let him turn her head as needed. 

“I can try, and it wasn’t anything bad. Weird and cryptic, but not bad. Something like ‘the fury rises from a frozen coffin, last remains of a world long dead, seeking justice for those wronged and killed.’ Maybe not those exact words, but something like that.” he explained. That made her sound a lot more impressive than she was.

“I imagine you pictured someone taller.” He’d removed most of the scabs and Maya was happy to see that both of her eyes were okay. “Probably less squishy? Huh. Explains why nobody pressed me on the whole ‘two centuries’ thing.”

“Yeah, kinda.” Sturges chuckled. “And yeah, that plus it seems like a touchy subject just yet.” He tilted her head back and frowned. “These are pretty deep. The stim’ll take a while to work, so I brought the starch to help it clot. Old trick my mama used if me or pops gouged a hand working. There we go.” He taped the last bandage into place and handed her the bottle of vodka. She took a grateful slug off of it and passed it back. “Alright, let’s head on back. Between Marcy and that bot there’s bound to be something ready by now.” Maya nodded. Tonight, dinner and hopefully sleep. 

Tomorrow, Diamond City. 


	2. Pick On Someone Half Your Size

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp Doomsday Tip: Find reliable allies; don’t try to go it alone. Solitary prey always gets picked off quickest.

A week had passed and Maya hadn’t been able to make her way to Diamond City yet. Instead she’d been running up and down the Commonwealth helping different settlements. These people needed a generator fixed, those ones had raider troubles, some others were running low on water, still more needed help with ferals. She’d been running on fumes for days, not having gotten a full night’s sleep since the night after Concord. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t been used to since cramming for college, or reviewing case files, or raising a baby, but everyone had a limit and she was reaching hers fast. She needed some help. 

“Preston,” she plopped down in a patch of dried grass next to where he was keeping watch, “are there any more Minutemen out there who could help us out? Maybe lighten the load a bit?” He dropped down next to her, still keeping his eyes on the horizon. Nothing to see but a water purifier and its generator chugging away quietly. 

“I'm afraid not. I’m the last one. Well, maybe not literally the last, there might be a few ex-Minutemen wandering around who quit after what happened at Quincy.” he said quietly. “But we were the last active group and now it’s just me.”

“What happened at Quincy?” Maya asked. Preston’s shoulders sagged and his gaze dropped to  the ground in front of him. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s just… I thought everyone in the Commonwealth had heard by now. Walk with me?” He rubbed his face and stood, then offered Maya a hand up. “I was with Colonel Hollis’ group. A group of mercenaries called the Gunners was attacking Quincy. The people there called the Minutemen for help,” Preston explained while they made their way to the next guard post. “We were the only ones that came. The other groups just turned their backs. On us, and the folks in Quincy. Only a few of us got out. Colonel Hollis was dead and I was left in charge of the survivors.” The guilt was clear in his voice and on his face. “We never found a safe place to settle, just one disaster after another. You saw how it ended in Concord.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, I get what it’s like. You fought through it though, and did a lot more than most would.” Maya put a firm hand on his shoulder, hoping to give at least a little comfort.

“I appreciate you saying that, but you’re the one that pulled us out of the fire. After all that happened, I can’t be the one to rebuild the Minutemen. But I bet you can.” he said. 

“Right, because folks’ll line right up to follow a prewar lawyer against ferals, raiders, and Christ knows what else,” she said with a dry chuckle. Then she caught the look on his face. “Dear god you’re serious.”

“I am. You saved us in Concord. There wasn’t anything in it for you and you had your own problems to deal with. But you did it anyway. That kind of selflessness has been in short supply these days. We need someone who can unite the Commonwealth under a common cause. I believe you have it in you to be that leader,” Preston said. And he did, he genuinely believed in her. That made one of them. 

“And who’s to say I don’t get myself killed first?” she asked. 

“I seriously doubt that. Not many could take on a deathclaw, especially as fresh out of the vault as you were.” he said. That was true, she’d practically still had frost in her hair. “You can say no, though.” To that face? She really couldn’t.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” Maya agreed, fairly certain she’d regret it. They walked down from the plywood watchtower overlooking the path to 111 and made their way to the next guard post. There was a renewed energy in Preston’s step.

“Good. Good!” Enthusiastic as a kid on Christmas. “Welcome aboard. I feel like this is a new start for the Minutemen and the Commonwealth, too. And don’t worry, I’ll be beside you all the way… General.” He paused on the title, almost like he was testing it out. 

“Oh jeez. General? Really?” 

“The leader of the Minutemen has always held the title of General. Last one was General Becker. After he died back in ’85 nobody could agree on who should take his place.” Of course the last guy didn’t just retire. “I guess one nice thing about being the last Minuteman is there’s nobody around to argue when I say you're the new General. Now it’s up to you to make that more than an empty title.”

“I’ll try not to let you down. But since it’s just you and me right now, how about we stick with Maya. Or Ace, if you really wanna get formal.” She sounded a lot more confident than she felt. This was completely new territory for her, even compared to everything in the last week. She needed a nap. Or a drink. Both would have been lovely. 

“I think I can manage that. Hold up, do you see that?” Preston pointed the end of the musket at the figure rapidly closing on the bridge ahead. The turrets weren’t taking aim, so whoever it was wasn’t immediately hostile. Neither was the shadow trailing behind them.

“Hello?” a voice like leaves being blown across concrete called in a thick Aussie accent. “I’ve heard I can find the Minutemen here!” Preston lowered his weapon and Maya moved to meet the person. A tiny ghoul woman with a floral scarf tied over patchy wisps of white hair, a tan shirt and pink sweater vest, and reading glasses hanging from a string of beads around her neck leaned heavily on the Sanctuary sign while a black and white tomcat trotted after her.

“What do you need?” Maya asked. She pulled a bottle of clean water to offer the woman, who took it gratefully and drank it half down in one go. 

“Greenskins. At the Slog. We need help.” she panted. “Not quite ten of them, plus hounds. One tried to take a bite out of Trousers here.” she gestured to the massive cat who’d leapt up light as a feather onto her shoulders. “He ripped its ear clean off.” 

“Alright, let’s go.” Preston said. 

“A moment dear. I still need to catch my breath.” the ghoul told him. Maya motioned for Preston to follow her.

“It’ll give me a minute to load up. C’mon.” she said and they made their way to her storage setup behind Rosa’s old house. “So what are Greenskins?”

“I keep forgetting how new you are to all this. Greenskins are what some people call Super Mutants. Huge, mean, bloodthirsty, and, well, green. They’ll eat anything with enough meat on it; dogs, yao guai, radstag, ghouls, humans, you name it. They’re tough enough I'd almost say grab the minigun.”

“Can’t. Almost out of ammo and even if it wasn’t, I still haven’t fixed that armor up so I can’t carry it.” Maya explained. “I’ve got the upper body strength of a piece of wet straw. You’re welcome to it if you wanna try, though.”

“No, it’s good. The Slog is pretty far and we’ll need to move quickly. So maybe go with the leather armor?” he suggested as she strapped her metal chest plate in place. 

“This piece stays. It’s lucky. Pass me my laser pistol and LDR please?” She finished getting kitted out as he pulled the rifle from the bottom of her footlocker. “C’mon pooch!” she called to Dogmeat, who hopped up from his makeshift bed and trotted briskly alongside her. “Alright, let’s move out. Marcy, Sturges, you’re in charge until we get back!” Maya called as they headed back to the bridge where their ghoul guest waited anxiously.

“You sure you don’t wanna wait here ma’am? I can get us to the Slog.” Preston offered. She looked them over in mild disbelief.

“Is this it? Just you two?” she asked. Maya nodded. “Then I’ll definitely be going with. Those folks are my friends and you’re gonna need all the help you can get. Come on, then.” The ghoul woman took off at a steady jog across the bridge followed closely by Preston, Maya, Dogmeat, and Trousers. “We’re about a half a day’s walk from there, so stay close. Keep this pace and we should be there by nightfall. Maybe give us a chance to sneak up on them.”

“Sounds good. Didn’t catch your name, ma’am.” Maya said, trying not to lag behind. Short legs weren’t great for running. 

“Call me Spins dear, most folk do. This is Trousers. Picked him up, oh, eight years ago? And what about you two?”

“I’m Preston Garvey and this is General Maya Ace. And Dogmeat.” Preston introduced. Maya tried not to grimace at the title.

“Wish it were under better circumstances but it’s a pleasure Preston, Dogmeat, General.” Spins said, sounding a touch skeptical at Maya’s new rank. Maya didn’t blame her a bit. 

Three hours had passed as they ran, the sun sinking low and casting their shadows far in front of them. The trip had been uneventful save for a couple of raider camps they left ignored in their rush and several persistent bloatflies that Dogmeat dealt with. They were brief distractions from the creeping dread in Maya’s gut.

“So what can you tell me about the Slog?” she asked. Better to try and go in prepared. 

“They’re the only tarberry farm in the Commonwealth. Most of the ones you can buy were grown out at the Slog. Not only that, it’s one of the few places I know I can rest without getting shot at or thrown out. An all-ghoul settlement means I know I won’t be turned away for ‘safety’ cause they think I'll go feral.” A whole new flavor of racism. How fun. But not quite the information she was looking for. 

“Noted. What about the layout? Any tactical advice?” Maya clarified. 

“Oh! We’ll be coming in from the west, so we’ll have to pass the old ironworks. We’ll wanna be quiet passing there since we don’t wanna be fighting Greenskins  _and_  those awful pyromaniac bandits, the Forged.” Spins explained. “If we can swing just a bit wide and come in from the north we'll have enough cover to try and pick a few off before we have to go toe to toe. I'm sure the others have barricaded themselves in the main building by now, so the mutants will probably already be in the fence. They aren't smart enough to try and climb or break the chainlink, so that’ll give us a few more seconds to prepare.”

“Alright. You good for ammo?” Preston asked. He was good about carrying extra.

“Yes, me and big boy here are all stocked up. But thank you.” She gestured to the pipe rifle on her back. “We’re getting close, you can see the ironworks from here. It’ll be nearly dark by the time we get there.”

The anticipation was going to kill Maya, she was certain. Or possibly the anxiety. It didn’t help that her traveling companions were so visibly agitated; even the dog was tense as a bowstring. After a week, Maya had learned she didn’t like fighting anything in the dark, especially new things. Her highly active imagination tended to exaggerate how frightening her enemies were, or even worse, got it exactly right. She felt nauseated and was actually glad she hadn’t eaten today. The impending anxiety attack, however, was less that welcome. She hoped she’d be able to stave it off until everyone was safe.

From giant green monsters. Today was not her day. 

Maya made note of the defenses outside Saugus Ironworks; several guards armed with flame throwers, energy weapons, one missile launcher, and a couple of sledgehammers. Spotlights and turrets too, not to mention several places to take cover. Spins was right, they definitely didn’t want to drag those guys into the fight.

Just across the road was what Maya assumed was the Slog. Gunfire popped and flashed from partially boarded windows while harsh, booming voices taunted the inhabitants with calls of ‘here, ghoulie ghoulie’ and ‘come on out, meat!’

“Just up here. Enough shadows most of them won’t be able to get a clear shot at us, so we’ll be able to pick off a couple before we have to move. Go for the hounds first if you can. They're fast and have a nasty bite, not to mention a howl you can hear from a mile off that’d give us away.” Spins whispered. Maya nodded and set her sniper rifle up on a nearby stump. 

“Preston. Hold your fire until they start moving on us. Dogmeat, stay.” Maya said. 

“Yes, General. I see two hounds. One by the corner of the pool, one up by the armor bench against the building,” he said, acting as a spotter until he had the go ahead.

“Looks like you’ve got a better scope on that thing than big boy has. I’ll take the one by the pool.” Spins said to her while she set herself up. Maya nodded, knocked twice on the metal chestplate, and took aim. 

“On three. One… two… three.” The two shots rang out as one and both hounds dropped. “Minigun ugly by the wall, get him. One, two, three.” Two mutants dropped, but the other six had caught on that they were under attack and were moving to defend themselves. Bullets zinged past where they were crouched in the trees.

“Who’s there? We’re gonna find you!” one of the super mutants shouted. 

“Preston, move back and try to draw them into our fire. Dogmeat, if it looks like it’s gonna get up, you stop it. Spins, aim for whoever’s closest.” Maya ordered, hoping she sounded General-y. Preston moved back behind them and started firing as Dogmeat crept up towards the fence. One mutant flat tried to charge for the source of the laser fire only to get a bullet through the knee then another in the ear courtesy of Spins. Two more went for the unattended minigun and were dealt with through Maya and Dogmeat’s combined efforts. It looked like they had this fight. 

Then things went to shit. 

Preston took a nasty hit in the shoulder and Maya sent Spins to cover him. Dogmeat was nowhere to be seen but they could hear him yelping somewhere behind the building. Then four more super mutants decided to join the party, leaving them basically where they’d started, minus two fighters. The ghouls inside the Slog started firing with renewed zeal. It would have given them a chance to run if that were an option, but it wasn’t. 

Or maybe it was.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!” Maya shouted and whipped out her laser pistol, leaving LDR where it was on the stump. She fired at the mutants that were rapidly bearing down on Spins and Preston and started running. 

“General, wait! Maya what are you doing?!” Preston shouted after her. They weren’t firing anymore, so at least someone thought she knew what she was doing. 

“Something monumentally stupid!” she yelled back. “Come on you green pieces of shit, come take a bite outta this! I hope you ugly fuckers choke!” she yelled as she fired at them, hoping they’d follow. They did, with one in particular holding what appeared to be a fucking mini nuke under its arm and leading the charge. She had their attention, now to focus on running to Saugus. “Shit shit fucking shit fuck fuck fuck!” The run was mercifully short, but now she was being shot at from two fronts. Thankfully the first raider at the perimeter seemed to be the only one aware of her.

“Who in the fuck--?”

“MOVE!” Maya bellowed, then grabbed the man by the side of his armor and the handle of the super sledge on his back and shoved him back into the encroaching mutant horde as she ran. A brief scream of ‘mutants!’ and a deafening explosion alerted the rest of the Forged to their presence, but apparently they either didn’t see Maya or didn’t care. Either way it was going better than expected and gave her more time to run. She dodged between the spotlights and turret fire, hopped an old burned out car, and tucked herself into a dark corner against the building. 

The sound of gunfire and screaming seemed to stretch on forever while she hid, until it finally stopped and she was left with a persistent ringing in her ears and the super sledge she hadn’t realized she was holding in her hands. And the dull thud of footsteps nearby. 

“Stupid burning humans. Where’d that little blue one go?” the mutant grumbled. It sounded like the Forged on patrol were all dead and the thing was just within arm’s reach of her. “Come out, come out little fat nugget.” it called in a gravelly singsong voice. 

“Excuse me?” she shouted indignantly, bringing the sledge up under its chin and sending it reeling. 

“I!” Crack, across the arm that came up in defense. 

“Am not!” Crack, across its jaw.

“Food!” Splat, down on the top of its head. She panted heavily, looking down at the grisly mess underneath her. It didn’t bother her if whatever she killed was an ‘it,’ which was nice to know. “Nugget, my ass. Bit off more than you could chew this time, huh, you jolly green cocksmear?” She chuckled under her breath, then hefted the sledge in her hands.  “Lot easier to handle these things when they’re rocket powered.”

She picked her way carefully through the mess that the mutants and the raiders had made, keeping one eye out for stragglers with her new hammer at the ready. Fortunately her improvised strategy had proven to be effective. Scorched mutants and mangled raiders littered the ground and by her count the one she had just killed was the last of them. Maya ran back to where Preston and Spins had been as quickly as her legs would carry her. They were sitting farther back than they had been, tending to Preston’s shoulder and Dogmeat’s leg. 

“She’s your General for a reason, isn’t she? I’m sure she’s alright.” Spins assured Preston. 

“I did promise not to disappoint.” Maya said, grinning at Preston and trying not to look too winded. He whipped around and winced briefly when he moved the shoulder. He scrambled to his feet and made like he was going to pull her into a hug but thought better of it.

“We saw the suicider go off and I thought that… We didn’t know if… How?” he asked. Maya knocked on the chestplate twice. 

“I told you it was lucky. Also I’m keeping this.” Maya slung the super sledge over her shoulder. “Lemme grab LDR and we’ll go check on everyone.” It had been knocked off the stump, but was otherwise untouched. 

“LDR?” she heard Spins whisper. 

“Long Distance Relationship.” Preston explained. “It’s the sniper rifle.”

“She’s got a strange sense of humor, that one.” Spins said as they made their way past the pool and toward the door. Maya knocked cautiously, half expecting a gun to poke out of the window at her.

“Took care of those super mutants for you. Mind if we come in? Your friend Spins brought us.” Maya called. No response. 

“Wiseman, you open up this door you wrinkly old schlanger!” Spins shouted at the nearby window and banged on the door. The sudden coarse language and demeanor caught Maya and Preston off guard. “I said I’d bring Minutemen and I did, now this one’s hurt—“

“-It just grazed me, I’m fine—“

“-And you’re just gonna let us sit out here?” No response for a moment, but then the door opened to reveal a ghoul as tall as Preston, pale as a ghost with wide eyes like ink. 

“You really found the Minutemen, didn’t you? I heard about them making a comeback, but I thought it was just a rumor. Never been so glad to be wrong. Here, come on in.” the ghoul said and waved them in. “Name’s Wiseman. I’m the one that started this place.”

“Maya Ace, General of the Minutemen. This here’s Preston Garvey.” She offered a handshake that was met with mild surprise but accepted. “Are your people alright, Wiseman?” Maya asked. She actually almost sounded like a leader should and even managed to avoid staring. She could deal with the eyes; bloodshot didn't bother her any and the full black was actually rather striking. The scars weren’t a big deal either seeing as Grandad Lee had some almost as bad for as long as she could remember. It was the nose, or lack thereof, that was distracting.

“Yeah, we’re alright. Doc Weathers was with us when we were attacked and he’s been keeping us patched up. He could take a look at your friend’s arm and your face there.” Wiseman said. Maya brought her hand up to her face in confusion. Apparently some of the gouges on her face had opened back up during the fight and were bleeding again.

“Nothing a rag and a stimpak won’t help for me. Preston, go get yourself checked.” she said. Preston nodded and headed for the doctor seated in a nearby corner. “If it’s not too much to ask, Preston and I would really appreciate a quick bite and a place to rest up before we head back to Sanctuary.” Wiseman stared for a moment and cleared his throat. Or maybe it was a laugh, it was hard to tell with that rough voice.   

“Too much to ask? General, it’s the least we could offer. You saved our farm and our skins.” He paused. Yeah, that was a laugh, she realized when he did it again. “So to speak. We’ve got a couple of extra beds in the other room over there and, hey Holly? We got any of that radstag stew left? Alright, good. Then you two can help yourselves to a couple of bowls of that, too.”

“Lovely, thank you,” Maya said and headed for the ghoul that Wiseman indicated. 

“Here you go, darlin’. It’s cold but still good.” Holly passed her a bowl, spoon, and a hunk of slightly stale bread. Maya took them gratefully, the slightly gamy smell of the stew reminding her she hadn’t eaten since the previous night. “Got a bowl for your friend and a can of food your dog and Trousers can split.” Holly continued as Maya all but dove headfirst into the bowl. “I saw you charge off to Saugus like that. Probably the bravest or the craziest thing I’ve seen in years.”

Maya swallowed hard on a lump of broth-soaked bread and said, “Six of one, half a dozen of the other. This is good stew, thanks for sharing.”

“Not a problem. Like Wiseman said, it’s the least we can do. Besides, it’s probably nothing compared to what you got in the vault.” Holly said. Maya’s stomach twisted and she very nearly lost her appetite. Apparently the sudden discomfort showed and an odd look crossed Holly’s face. “Ohh, you were in one of the bad ones.”

“They have a reputation? That's… delightful. Yeah, long story short they froze us without our consent right after the bomb dropped. Something went wrong in the system and I was the only one who walked away.” Maya idly spun the silver band on her finger. “Well, me and my son, but he was… well, he’s not with me.”

“God… I’m sorry, I assumed you were from 81, I had no idea.” Holly put a hand on Maya’s shoulder and Maya turned her focus back to her food.

“It's alright, you couldn’t have known. So what can you tell me about Vault 81?” she asked Holly, hoping to distract herself. 

“Well I don't know much about it myself. Kinda northeast of the ruins, willing to open the door for traders or folks who’ve got something they really need, but not real welcoming. Spins or your friend could tell you more than I could, though.” Holly passed a bowl to Preston. “Thanks, by the way. Both of you. You working out of the old place or somewhere new?”

“Happy to help, ma'am. And right now we’re based out of a settlement up north called Sanctuary, a little ways past Concord.” Preston explained as Holly refilled Maya’s bowl.

“You two ran here from Concord?” Maya nodded as she wolfed down her second portion. “Jeez, you two must be exhausted.”

“Now that you mention it…” Maya felt it in her bones and that was before they left, now the only thing keeping her from falling asleep in her soup was how damn hungry she was for it.

“We've got a couple extra beds in that room over there. Blankets on the shelves. There’s some pillows too, but they’re kind rough.” Holly jerked a thumb back towards what looked to be an old locker room turned barracks.

“You should check in with the doctor too, General. Then get some rest, I can handle things from here.” Preston insisted. She didn’t have the energy to argue so she nodded, passed the empty bowl back to Holly, and hauled herself back to her feet. 

Doc Weathers agreed that at that point a rag and a stimpak were all she needed and that she’d scar deeply because it was too late to be stitched properly.  _Wonderful_. Dogmeat trotted gingerly after her after finishing his own food and hopped up onto the old mattress she’d dropped her pack next to. She just stared down at him for a moment.

“Fine, just don’t go shoving me of the edge, pooch,” she finally sighed as she grabbed a worn blanket and pillow and flopped down onto the bed. She barely had time to adjust and get comfortable before she was out.

Maya woke up to a cold spot on her back where the dog had been. A full night of sleep in a real bed, no nightmares, things trying to eat her, or scabs popping open to wake her up. She felt almost normal for the minute or so it took to shake off the bleariness and get herself back into business headspace. Dogmeat was waiting patiently next to Preston, who was getting his own things packed and ready to go. A ghoul named Deidre brought them supplies for the road: brahmin jerky, mutant hound chops, and a couple bottles of deep purple something.

“Tarberry juice. Cleaner than most of the water we've got and better for you than nuka,” she explained.

“Thank you. We're glad to help anytime.” Maya took the supplies and passed Preston half. “You're headed out too, Spins?” The old ghoul was hauling a massive pack up onto her back and Trousers leapt up and nestled himself on top of it.

“Indeed I am dear. Books to deliver, folks to teach, no end to the work, you know how it is. You take care of yourself General, I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again.” Spins said cheerfully. 

She headed off further south while Maya, Preston, and Dogmeat made their way back to Sanctuary. The trip back was longer than the one down given that they had to give the raider camps an even wider berth in the daylight. It was calmer though, and more comfortably quiet as they walked.

“So, General,” Preston started.

“It's just you and me right now,” Maya reminded him and suppressed a grimace.

“Right. Ace, then. I just didn’t get a chance last night, but I wanted to say that that was some quick thinking with the Forged. I’m impressed.” He smiled. It was a very nice smile; warm, kind, genuine. Sweet kid. 

“Really? Even with all the screaming?” she said with a chuckle.

“Yeah. And to be honest it wasn’t as much as back in Concord.” They strolled past the Red Rocket station, taking a brief moment to check on the lone turret just outside the garage. It was still puttering and scanning, which hopefully meant that things in Sanctuary had stayed quiet.

“Oh jeez. I was screaming? Hadn’t noticed with the giant monster on top of me. How bad?” She wasn’t embarrassed (okay maybe a little), but she wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. 

“About as much to be expected for your first time fighting one. To be honest, as dark as it was it was the only way I could tell you were still alive under that thing,” he explained.

“Oh good. I’d have hated for you to stop shooting before it ate me,” she joked.

“Hey! Who’s there?” Marcy shouted from the guard post by the bridge. 

“It's just us, we’re back from the Slog.” Maya called back. “Anything interesting happen while we were out?” Marcy climbed down and fell into step with them.

“Some bugs that were still hiding in a couple wrecked houses that you missed. I’m starting to think you’re doing it on purpose,” she snipped.

“I didn’t like them when they were smaller than my thumb and I’ve been busy, gimme a break. Besides, I’d hate for you to get bored.” They were still definitely sharp with each other but it was different than the first day; not actually fighting, more like they were glad to have someone to argue with. “Anything else happen?”

“Yeah, a few people showed up this morning asking for you two. They wouldn’t leave so Sturges had them clearing houses earlier. They’re over in the blue one now.” Marcy waved a hand at her old home dismissively.

“Alright, thanks. I’ll go talk to them.” Maya broke off from the group and headed over, wishing that they’d chosen literally any other house. Just inside the living room were 5 people, leaning against the wall or sitting on crates; 3 women and 2 men. A ghoul woman stood up when she entered and fidgeted nervously. “Is there something I can do for you folks?”

“Actually we were hoping we could help you. The big guy, Sturges told us you were in charge?” she said. “Of the Minutemen? You helped some of us and our friends and… and well, we wanted to ask if we could join.”

 _Oh. Volunteers. Thank god_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh my god I am so sorry this took so long guys. Life kinda blew up in my face for a while there. Thanks for your patience. As always, feedback is always welcome. Constructive criticism means it'll just keep getting better! 
> 
> Again, feel free to drop in on my tumblr, mypunkpansexualtwin


	3. The Wrong Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp Doomsday Tip: Choose your allies as carefully as you choose your enemies. There will always people you don't want to fall in with.

Three days had passed since the first group of volunteers had arrived and more had gradually been trickling in. Even a few ex-Minutemen had returned after hearing about the comeback and offered to help train the rawest recruits. Now that Maya and Preston weren’t the only ones on call, things were looking up. Sure the constant “General” left a bad taste in her mouth, but she did have more time for the important things; weapons maintenance, armor care, eating, sleeping. 

Finding Shaun.

She’d made the announcement about an hour ago that she was leaving and was subsequently swarmed with last minute updates and requests. Preston had marked a few key locations in her pip-boy before she started suiting up: Corvega Plant – full of raiders, approach with caution and plenty of ammo; Lexington – feral ghoul swarms, avoid at all costs; Diamond City – her destination, well into the Boston ruins so always keep an eye out for mutants; Vault 81 – don’t expect to be let in without paying what supplies they need.

“They’re fairly insular, so even if you do get in you probably won’t get the warmest welcome.” He passed her LDR and her lucky chestplate. 

“Noted. You can put the rifle back, I wanna travel light so I can move quickly. Go ahead and pass it off if someone needs it for a patrol, just make sure it gets back to me.” Somehow Maya had inadvertently become responsible for making sure her people were armed with more than pipe weapons after the laser muskets ran out. One of the old minutemen seemed especially taken with the super sledge Maya grabbed at Saugus and was delighted when she told her to keep it.

“Will do, General. By the way, Sturges said he has something for you. And Mama Murphy said she wanted to talk to you before you left,” Preston said. “Any idea when you’ll be back, ma’am?”

“I’ll try to be back in a week or so. If it’ll be longer I’ll send word along. Until then you, Rogers, and Jones are in charge of keeping things running. I promise I’ll come back in one piece. Or as few pieces as possible,” she told him.

“Understood, General. Be careful out there.” 

“Come on, this is me we’re talking about,” Maya called over her shoulder.

“I know!” Preston called back. In her defense, he’d really only seen her in action when ‘Plan: Batshit Crazy’ was the only viable option. Otherwise she was cautious bordering on paranoid, and at that particular moment telling herself that she didn’t need to bring her whole gun cabinet with her to keep herself safe. She gave a sharp whistle when she passed the mattress Dogmeat was relaxing on and he trotted alongside her on the way to Sturges’ workshop-in-progress. She paused in the doorway and knocked on the wall next to her.

“Maya! Just the lady I wanted to see!” Sturges pushed back the welding mask and stepped away from the car door he was breaking down.

“Preston said you had something?” She stepped into the house they’d gutted for his shop and handed him the rag he was reaching for. 

“Yeah! Been working on something I think you’ll like. Figured you could use something to replace that super sledge you passed off, something a little lighter, maybe a little faster.” He wiped his hands clean and strolled over to a covered table. “Actually, I was working on this before you found that, ‘bout a week now. It was tricky, keeping it light enough to swing but strong enough it wouldn’t break, plus trying to keep it balanced so too hard a swing wouldn’t knock it outta your hands. But I think I got it.” Sturges pulled the tarp off the table to reveal a baseball bat. Like most she’d run across, it had been modified to try and maximize the damage it could do. Unlike the other bats it didn’t have nails, razor wire, or saw blades lashed to it; instead, he had bracketed deathclaw fingers to it. Wrought iron brackets, brass studs, leather-wrapped handle, and the same claws that had shredded her armor and face just over a week ago. “You like it?” he asked nervously. “You can give it a couple test swings if you like.”

“Ohhh my god. This is damn impressive, big guy.” Maya tested the bat in one hand, almost giddy as she did so. Even if she wasn’t a fighter by nature, she’d always been able to appreciate good weaponry. “Lighter than it looks, cork core?” She adjusted her grip and swung it a few times. Still some definite heft to it, so she’d need to practice with it if she wanted to use it for more than a few swings at a time.

“Yeah, the rivets reinforced it enough that I had a little extra room to work with for shaving down the weight. Took a few tries to get it right, though.” He jerked a thumb back at a the remains of a number of broken bats. “What do you think? Worth the effort?”

“Oh definitely! I’ll be glad to have this on my back when I head out. Thank you, Sturges.” She clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “I’m gonna let you get back to work now. Mama Murphy said she wanted to talk to me too.”

“Alright, see you later General.” Sturges waved back as she left, apparently pleased with her reaction. 

Maya strapped her new bat to the top of her bag and headed back towards where Mama Murphy was leaned up against Rosa’s old place. The old woman extinguished her cigarette against the wall.

“You’re tied to this place, kid. Your energy,” she said, “I can feel it.”

“Yeah,” Maya leaned against the wall next to her, “I used to live here. A long time ago.” Her voice had gone soft. Two centuries. It’d hit her sometimes, and only a couple of times had it really sunk in, just how long she’d been asleep. That all of this really was real.

“Ah, but the distant past ain’t so distant for you. I saw you leave that icebox. This whole world is like one bad dream you can’t wake up from, isn’t it?” Mama Murphy said, apparently noticing the change in Maya. Her voice caught in her throat as her face flushed at being caught in a vulnerable moment. 

“I don’t – is there something you needed? I need to get on the road soon,” she deflected sharply. Mama Murphy chuckled.

“I ain’t judging and I ain’t planning on spreading it around, don’t worry. This is about what you need. The Sight can help you, kid. It always has answers. And I already got the chems to give them to you.” Maya hesitated. She was a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic and proof beyond reasonable doubt had been her bread and butter back in the day. One of her jobs growing up had been a ‘psychic’ at the local fair and she’d gotten damn good at giving a convincing cold read, as well as spotting one. That said, the old woman had told all of them things beforehand that she had no other way of knowing, plus she already had the jet in hand. “Thought I might give you the chance to hear what the Sight can offer.”

“You’ll be taking it no matter what I say, won’t you?” Maya said, more of a statement than a question. It was Mama Murphy’s turn to look defensive. “Hey hey,” she held her hands up as the old woman opened her mouth to argue, “it’s alright. Lord knows I’ve got no room to judge someone else’s vices. You were ‘Murphy the Madwoman,’ I was ‘Easy A.’ God, and before I got pregnant you could cut me and I’d bleed bourbon,” Maya finished with a dry laugh. “So, yes or no?” Mama Murphy nodded. “Alright then, hit me.” Murphy took a long draw off the inhaler, closed her eyes for a few moments, and exhaled.

“Diamond City holds answers, but they’re locked tight. You ask them what they know, but people’s hearts are chained up with fear and suspicion. But you find it. You find that heart that’s gonna lead you to your boy.” Mama raised a hand like she was blocking a light that wasn’t there. “Oh it’s… it’s bright. So bright against the dark alleys it walks. It’ll send you to find a man. He can help you, but he ain’t gonna be the man you expect. He’s somewhere deep… dark… surrounded by folks with nothin but cruel intentions. There’s a woman, hiding a fear under all that anger and a crack between her and her lover. Tell her about the black book and the crack will break, you and your friend will be free to go.” She opened her eyes and swayed on the spot for a moment before leaning back against the wall again. 

“Are you alright?” Maya asked, straightening back up in case she looked like she was going to fall while she coughed.

“Wow… that took more outta me than usual. Don’t mind me, kid. I’ll be fine… eventually. I just gotta rest for a while.” She pushed off of the wall and started making her way to a nearby chair. “You know what you gotta do. Follow the signs to the bright heart and remember the black book.” Maya offered arm for support. 

“I can do that. Just…” She hesitated. She wasn’t judging, but she was allowed to be concerned. “Take it easy on the chems. I like you more than I need the Sight.” The old woman started to argue, but Maya continued, “I’ve got good instincts that I can get by on but not a lot of friends right now. Please?” Murphy sighed sharply. 

“Alright fine, I’ll ease up. Ain’t got the energy to argue anyway. Now get moving, girly. Diamond City won’t come to you.” Mama Murphy waved her off and leaned back in the old chair to doze off. Maya motioned to Jun and asked him to keep an eye on her while she was gone, then made her way to the gate, crossed the bridge, and finally left for Diamond City. 

Actually, first she had to check in on Abernathy Farm to see how the generator repairs were holding up. They were glad to see her and Dogmeat when she crested the hill and they gave her the quick rundown on their status over the course of the last few days; the generator was fine, they’d dealt with a small patrol of raiders thanks to a few of the new minutemen, who had also helped repair a damaged water pump. “Your people are doing great work, General. The Commonwealth is lucky to have the Minutemen back,” Blake had said and passed on a copy of a family cookbook. “Figure it might help since you aren’t used to the food yet, might make it easier to keep some of the weirder stuff down.” Maya figured that was the nicest way he could say that they didn’t want the dumbass vaultie going and poisoning herself before she’d been out of the ground for a month.

Her next stop, Starlight Drive-in, was a similar case. Minutemen gave a report on a mole rat nest they cleared out, new structures being built, and a small store getting started up to try and draw more caravan traffic. They also offered up a fresh supply of ammo for her; 14 shotgun shells, a full clip of 10 mm, and a dozen extra fusion cells for the laser musket, plus a can of dog food and some dried mystery meat for the pooch.

After that, it was south to cut around the Corvega plant, taking advantage of the deep shadows still being cast on the western side and moving to the southern wall which was completely devoid of security beyond the lack of entrance. That said, she was still uncomfortably close to the hornets nest and was eager to get clear of it quickly. And she very nearly was when she heard the quiet chime that indicated her pip-boy had picked up a new radio signal.  _Military Signal AF95 found._ Maya waited until she was completely clear of the plant before she tuned in, and still kept the volume low enough she had to lean in to hear the message. 

 _“Automated message repeating: This is Scribe_ _Haylen_ _of Reconnaissance Squad Gladius to any unit in transmission range. Authorization code Arcs, Farrow, Nine, Five. Our unit has sustained casualties and we’re running low on supplies. We’re requesting support or evac from our position at Cambridge Police Station… Automated message repeating-”_  Maya shut the radio off and debated with herself for a few moments. She’d been letting herself get distracted for too long now and this smelled like trouble. There was a good chance of it being a trap and even if it wasn’t, she could very well get herself killed trying to deal with their problem. She was no use to anyone dead. On the other hand it could be like most of the other distress signals she’d tracked down; a centuries-old call for help that went unanswered and needed to be shut off to keep good samaritans (much like herself) from wasting their time and wandering astray. There was also the chance of it being the real deal and what kind of Minuteman would she be if she ignored that?

“Fuck. Guess that decides it. Come on, pooch. We’re not all that far.” Maya snapped her fingers and took off at a light jog towards the police station. It was a short trip coming from the north down the hill, then skirting the edge of town until she came to a narrow alley with a gap in the chain link fence. She and Dogmeat slipped through easily and followed the sound of energy weapons fire and harsh snarling. Ferals, a lot of them from the sounds of it. The sawed-off, ten mil, and laser musket were all too slow to reload and she’d be swarmed regardless of what she used.  _Time to try out my new present._  “C’mon boy, let’s kick some ass,” she said and ran in with her deathclaw bat at the ready. 

Dogmeat charged past her and launched himself at the closest ghoul, latching onto its neck and tearing out its throat. Three more whipped around to where she and the dog were standing and ran for them, stumbling over each other in their frenzy. He grabbed one by the leg, dragging it and the ghoul behind it down. Maya adjusted her grip and stance as the last one closed on her. It launched itself at her just as her bat connected with the side of its head, the claws splitting it like an old melon. A sharp yelp from Dogmeat distracted her from the bile rising in her throat and she whirled to see another ghoul recoil from him, clawing at the smoking hole in its chest before it dropped dead. The dog turned and gave a short warning bark before she felt an arm close around her neck and foul breath hiss in her ear. She dropped her weight as the other arm came up to claw at her chest plate. Maya had expected to hit the ground when she broke its grip on her and she had been ready to swing at it while it recoiled; she hadn’t expected the thing’s arm to come off in a hot spray of blood when she collapsed. She barely suppressed a shout of  _what the fuck_  and swung its own arm at its head, sending it reeling long enough for a shot from a laser rifle to turn it into ash. A man in power armor reloaded the rifle and took aim at another ghoul running up on her, but more surged up behind him.

“Look out! Dogmeat, get!” she shouted, and swung at another ghoul’s legs. Dogmeat tripped up the group running up on the other guy long enough for him to start picking them off. Several minutes passed like that until they’d finally dealt with the swarm. Maya gave herself a cursory once-over; her armor had held up, as had the bat,  _gotta_ _thank_ _Sturges_ _again when I get back_ , her vault suit was also miraculously still in one piece albeit caked with blood from fighting off a dozen ghouls with a bat,  _and ripping one’s arm off what the fuck_ , she was bruised in several places where they’d bitten her through the leather armor or knocked her around hard enough, but nothing was broken. Overall she was sore but alright, so she considered that a win. She strapped the bat back to the top of her bag and approached the man in power armor, who was looking at her expectantly.

“We appreciate the assistance civilian, but what is your business here?” he asked. Civilian?  _Not sure why I’m surprised, the pip-boy had said ‘military frequency.’ Delightful._

“I heard the distress beacon and figured I’d try to offer fire support. I’m with the Commonwealth Minutemen,” Maya explained. She didn’t offer a handshake, mostly because he didn’t look inclined to take it with his hands still on the laser rifle. 

“I wasn’t aware they were still maintaining a presence in the area. Are you from a local settlement?” He’d lowered the weapon enough that she was fairly certain he wasn’t planning on shooting her. 

“We’re making a comeback. And yes, I’m from a place up north called Sanctuary.” His eyes flicked briefly over her suit and pip-boy. “I came out of a vault in that area and joined the Minutemen there.” Not lying, but already more than was his business.

“You’re a vault dweller?” he asked, clearly shocked. “Most people wouldn’t admit to such a thing. I appreciate your honesty. If I appear suspicious it’s because our mission here has been difficult. Since the moment we arrived in the Commonwealth we’ve been constantly under fire. If you want to continue pitching in we could use the extra gun,” he gestured to the bat strapped to the top of her bag, “or whatever weapon you can offer, unorthodox as it is.” Maya patted the 10 mil on her hip. 

“I’ve got a little variety for different situations. Hard to reload if you’ve got ferals charging but the bat doesn’t need ammo. Anyway, I’m willing to help but I need to know who I’m helping first.”  _A hundred bucks says I regret this later. Or caps. Whatever._

“Very well. I’m Paladin Danse, with the Brotherhood of Steel. Over there is Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys. We’re running recon duty, but I’m down a man and supplies are low. I’ve been trying to send a distress signal to my superiors, but the signal is too weak to reach them,” he explained. 

“Sir, if I may?” Scribe Haylen asked.

“Proceed, Haylen.”

“I’ve modified the radio tower on the roof of the police station, but I’m afraid it’s just not enough. What we need is something that’ll boost the signal,” she told them. Danse nodded at her assessment and turned back to Maya. 

“Our target is ArcJet Systems and it contains the technology we need. The Deep Range Transmitter. We infiltrate the location, secure the transmitter, and bring it back here. So what do you say? Are you willing to lend the Brotherhood of Steel a hand?”

“What is the Brotherhood of Steel?” They were definitely some kind of military force, maybe the post-war remains of the marines, so she already didn’t like them. That said, she was still way too green to be making enemies. 

“Our order seeks to understand technology. Its power, its meaning to us as humans. And we fight to secure that power from those that would abuse it.”  _Heard that line before._ “Before the Great War, science and technology had become more of a burden than a benefit. The atom bomb, bioengineered plagues, and FEV are clear examples of the horrors that technological advancement had wrought. We’re here to make sure that never happens again.”

“Sounds like a noble goal. I’ll help.” Maya said. Actually, it sounded like an excuse for a technology cult to play army and grab any tech they could get their hands on, but better to help them call for evac than to let their buddies come and storm the place looking for them. 

“Outstanding. Haylen, get Rhys inside and bind his wounds. Rhys, once you’re on your feet I want you to make sure the perimeter is secure.” Danse instructed the other two.

“Yes, sir!”

“I’m on it.”

“Alright civilian, it’s time to prove your worth. Head into the police station and resupply yourself, then let me know when you’re ready to begin. Let’s move out, people,” he barked.  _Okay that ‘civilian’ shit is_ _gonna_ _get on my nerves real damn fast._

Maya opened the door and let Haylen and Rhys, who was leaning heavily on the scribe, pass first. She was next, and not entirely comfortable with the walking tank following so close behind her.

“So you gonna patch me up or what?” Rhys asked Haylen as she lowered him to a sleeping bag on the floor. Maya slipped into the next room, availing herself of a couple of the stimpaks and feeling only a tiny pang of guilt for pocketing a holotape marked as someone’s personal log.  _Nosy as ever,_ _Acerbi_ _._

“I don’t know, your prognosis looks pretty grim. Might be more humane to just take you out back and shoot you.” Haylen stuck him with a stim while she talked.

“You’re all heart, doc,” he chuckled.

“Just quit squirming so I can get these bandages on,” Haylen told him. Maya picked over the munitions on the counter, pocketing a few extra shells, some fusion cells, and the handful of 10 mm ammo. She considered the modded 10 mil pistol but decided against it and instead opted to tuck the extra fusion core into her bag next to the spare partial one she kept.

“Think you’re some kind of hot-shot?” Rhys snapped and startled her. He’d propped himself up against a wall and was glaring almost hard enough to burn holes in her.

“I get the feeling we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” she replied coolly, unfazed by the sudden change in demeanor. He wasn’t much taller than she was, 5’5” tops, and built like a pitbull, although considerably less charming.

“Doesn’t matter if we did or not, I’m not here to make friends. You’re hired help, and that’s all there is to it.” He said rudely.  _Jesus, who pissed in your sugar bombs?_

“If that’s what you think. But for future reference, hired help has to be  _hired_. But I promise, I really am doing this out of the goodness of my heart. No payday needed.” Prewar Maya would never have mouthed off to a military man that talked down to her, and lord knows there were plenty, but Postwar Maya watched Knight Rhys scowl even harder and had to admit it was cathartic. That said, she didn’t plan on poking the bear more than necessary, and excused herself to the evidence lockup.

Slim pickings in the evidence lockers; some chems, some clothes, a pair of sunglasses, and a number of timeworn files scattered around. She checked the evidence terminal (200 years and the password was still the same) to see if maybe there was something else in the basement. Instead she was rewarded with a list of everything she’d just picked up, plus the location of two old holotapes she’d probably definitely go looking for later. 

“Why are you standing around here like there’s nothing to do? Paladin Danse is waiting for you.” Apparently Rhys didn’t like her being unsupervised and had followed her. She shouldered past him and dropped her bag on the table in the common area to give her supplies a once-over. 

“Sorry about the other guys,” Haylen said from the chair in front of the terminal. 

“Eh. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. So why are you cutting me so much slack?” Three preloaded clips of 10 mm ammo got tucked into one of Maya’s belt pockets. “Not that I’m complaining at all.” 10 stimpaks, a bottle of Rad-X, and one pack of Rad-Away, all went into a pouch on her hip. The rest of the chems went into the first aid kit.

“Well I, uh, I joined the Brotherhood not too long ago. I had been like you, wandering alone. So I know what it feels like when every person you bump into sticks a gun in your face.” Dogmeat pushed his face into Haylen’s hand and panted happily while she scratched his ears. “Look, it may not seem like it, but Danse is a good man. He’s just all soldier. Protocol is his bread and butter. And Rhys… well let’s just say he’s as hard-headed as a Mister Gutsy.” And Haylen seemed to be the only one not set on establishing dominance over the ‘civilian.’  _Cute, too. No, stop that, this is very much not the time._  “But you know what? I’d trust them both with my life, because they’re good people and that’s hard to come by nowadays. Anyway, I shouldn’t hold you up, Danse is starting to look impatient.” Haylen pushed Dogmeat off of her as gently as he’d let her. “Go on, boy. Time for you two to move out.” Maya had finished getting her pack reorganized just as Dogmeat trotted up expectantly. 

“Paladin? I’m ready to go.”

“Outstanding. Follow me and try not to lag behind.” Danse replied, popped his helmet on, and headed out the door. 

Easier said than done. Maya was at a disadvantage, carrying fifty pounds of gear on short legs that were still not exactly happy with running, trying to keep up with a guy in power armor doing his best impression of a freight train. He took them through the alley she’d come from and headed up an old road toward ArcJet Systems. Between the distance he was ahead of her and the clanking of the armor, she could only catch snatches of what he was telling her. It was a risk leaving the station, he wanted to leave the Commonwealth but there were strange readings that Haylen needed to investigate, because obviously if it’s a high-tech threat then the Brotherhood had to investigate. She rolled her eyes at that but saved her breath for trying to keep up. 

They weren’t the first team to explore the Commonwealth, one brought back a wealth of tech, and the other went missing. He had lost four men while on expedition and it didn’t sound like he was inclined to cut their losses and go home. She half considered bailing if this mission wasn’t to call for evac, but the Brotherhood was bound to come looking for them one way or another, and probably in force. Not to mention that the only fighting that happened was with mutant bugs or dogs, so she didn’t exactly get a chance to slip away during a fight.  _Also that’d be immensely shitty of me._

“There it is. ArcJet Systems. There shouldn’t be any exterior security, so we’ll head in through the front.” He stopped them just outside the door. “Listen up, we do this clean and quiet. No heroics and by the book, understand?” Maya nodded and hauled out the laser musket, then snapped her fingers at Dogmeat and motioned for him to stay behind her. “Outstanding. Remember, our primary target is the Deep Range Transmitter. Stay focused and check your fire. I don’t wanna be hit by stray bullets.”

The inside of the building was a wreck. No more so than any of the other buildings she’d gone poking around in for one reason or another, but the fallen stairs and rotting tiles served as yet another harsh reminder of the time she’d missed. 

“It was corporations like this that put the last nail in the coffin for mankind.” Danse said, taking point. “They exploited technology for their own gains, pocketing the cash and ignoring the damage they’d done.”  _Yeah and most of that cash came from government and military contracts._ It was getting hard for Maya to keep her mouth shut. She settled for rolling her eyes behind his back again as he led them around the corner. “Ugh. Look at these wrecks. It appears as though the facility’s automated security’s already been dealt with.”

“Raiders?” Maya hazarded a guess. If that were the case, they must have gotten the jump on them, judging by the scattered protectron remains. 

“Unfortunately, that’s most likely not the case. Look at the evidence. There isn’t a single spent ammunition casing or drop of blood in sight. These robots were assaulted by Institute synths.” Danse explained. 

“What can you tell me about them?” Maya had heard about them as well as the Institute in some of her settlements, usually in hushed whispers around the fire, as though they could appear at any moment if you spoke about them too loudly. 

“They’re an abuse of technology created by the Institute. Abominations meant to “improve” upon humanity. Most are little better than these protectrons, mindless scavenger drones searching for technology on their masters’ orders. Others are indistinguishable from humans, hiding in plain sight to further the Institute’s agenda. It’s unacceptable. They simply can’t be allowed to exist.”  _Well the second explains all the_ Invasion of the Body Snatchers  _type stories._

“And the Institute? All I’ve heard are rumors and ‘he said, she said’ stories.” Maya picked over the ruined bots, hoping for some extra ammo, maybe a couple targeting boards for new turrets. Dogmeat followed her lead and turned up a wrench in surprisingly nice condition. 

“They’re a group of scientists who went underground when the Great War started. Spent the last few decades littering the Commonwealth with their technological nightmares.” Danse explained. No dice for any useful components, but a few extra cells for the musket. 

“Yeah, that’s about all I’ve heard. I’ll be on the lookout, then.” She felt like maybe he knew more than he was telling her, but he didn’t seem likely to share any important details with the ‘civilian.’  _Maybe something to do with_ _Haylen’s_ _readings? Eh, no use speculating._

“Roger that. Let’s move out.” The Paladin led the way through crumbling halls and ruined office spaces. “This place is a mess, but I still see a few pieces of salvage that the Brotherhood might be interested in. After we’re done here I’ll have to mark this place for sweep and retrieve.” Maya really only noticed little bits of salvage; a fan here, an extinguisher there, the kind of little stuff she’d break down to add to settlement provisions after Preston teased her for collecting junk. “Hm. Looks like a dead end. See if you can find a way to get that door open. I’m going to reconnoiter the area.” The terminal in the middle of the room was intact, so that seemed promising. Maya walked over and dusted off the old screen.

“This could take a few minutes. I’ve got another question, if you don’t mind.” Dust wheezed out of the old computer’s vents as she tapped at the keyboard. 

“I’ll answer to the best of my abilities, but we need to stay focused.” Danse called from the adjacent office. 

“Is being a vaultie a bad thing? The way you reacted to me saying so has me a little worried now.” Maybe worried wasn’t exactly the right word, especially since it wasn’t the first time she’d gotten the reaction. But if the man was gonna talk anyway, might as well be about something she’d been wondering about for a while now.

“Not at all. Vault dwellers are typically healthier, better educated, and less suspicious than individuals who have lived on the surface all of their lives. In fact, one of the outsiders most highly regarded by the Brotherhood of Steel was from a vault.” He explained. It was a matter of fact for the man, not an excuse or attempt at flattery. “But many vault dwellers are unprepared for what they find when they leave, not just in their environment but in the people around them that would take advantage of their perceived weakness.” He returned from the neighboring room, apparently having had no luck finding a way through. 

“So me admitting that is a lot like saying ‘I’m trusting you not to put one over on me.’ Duly noted.” _And wearing the suit is like painting ‘huge sucker, please mug me’ on my back in big blue and yellow letters._ Danse nodded and Maya continued picking at the keyboard. “I’ll have this in a minute, it’s just slow. So can you tell me about that outsider?”  _I really need to quit being so damn nosy._  

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt, it isn’t what you would call a secret. Actually she’s something of a legend in the areas around the Capital Wasteland. Epiphany Leeds. She helped the Brotherhood eliminate the Enclave when she was only 17, just a few months after she came to the surface. She’s the reason a number of settlements back home are even standing today.”  _Jesus, 17? And who the hell names a kid ‘Epiphany?’ Bet that was fun growing up._

“She sounds impressive. Do you think she’ll ride in with your backup?” Almost had the terminal. As cranky as the damn thing was being, Maya allowed herself a moment to be impressed with her own skills. 

“I highly doubt that. She’s been missing for almost ten years. There’s been a great deal of speculation as to what her fate may have been, but the stories are just that; stories. Most people believe she’s alive, or at the very least hope she is and that someday she’ll return. Many of the older Brotherhood members are certain she’s dead.” Danse said. He was hovering now, waiting for her to finish. It wasn’t helping in the least. 

“And what do you think, Paladin?” She really didn’t like him looming, and liked being unable to read him even less.

“As well-known as she was, someone would have found proof or tried to claim credit for it. I believe she’s alive, though I highly doubt she’s planning a grand return in the wasteland’s greatest hour of need like some say. She was an impressive young woman, but not the messiah many of the common people have built her up to be. There’s no point dwelling on it now, though. We have a mission to focus on. How close are you on that terminal?”  _Almost as close as you are, buddy._

“Almost… got it!” The screen finally started rolling out options and Danse gave her room to breathe. 

“Outstanding.” He made his way to the door as Maya typed in the proper command and opened the way. “Intruder alert! Weapons hot!” Dogmeat positioned himself between Maya and the group of what she assumed were the synths now storming the room, maybe a half dozen of them in all, while Danse started firing. It didn’t take but a second for her to follow suit, falling into the rhythm of  _crank, two, three, four, fire!_  The most intact ones looked like mannequins. Some were missing plating, with wires and framework exposed in places where time or fighting had done its damage. Others were entirely bare, without any sort of frame meant to secure a shell to, leaving them looking like something caught between a robot and a skeleton. Maya wasn’t sure if she thought the effect came across as more macabre or just plain goofy. What she did know was those exposed components really didn’t like energy weapons fire and she was going to take full advantage of that.

“Dogmeat, heel!” Maya shouted and fired into the open chest of a synth that was bearing down on him with a stun baton. Unfortunately the dog’s teeth weren’t going to do much against plastic enemies, so letting him intercept would only give her and the Paladin something to avoid hitting. She’d barely had a moment to glance around the next room before Danse was off through a hole in the wall after more synth targets.  _For a guy who was afraid of stray bullets, he sure likes charging into incoming fire._ As unstable as the rubble they had to climb looked, Maya was happy to let the walking tank take point. If he fell through a section of rotten floor he’d be a lot more likely to walk away unscathed than she would. 

“Damn synths have compromised most of the facility. Remain vigilant. We’ve got turrets ahead.” He gestured to two ceiling-mounted units down the hall. Maya tucked herself behind a desk that had apparently fallen from the floor above them and took out the first turret with a fully charged shot. Danse eliminated the second before it could effectively target her and continued down the hall, giving her no time to try and salvage anything from either one. He rounded the corner and dealt with the third just long enough for her to catch up with him. “Engine Core’s ahead. Should be our final stop.” The door ahead groaned sad creaked in protest at being forced open. “All right, check your corners and keep it quiet. Watch your footing, looks like the power’s out in this section.” 

If the entrance to ArcJet had been bad, then the engine core was a hazard and a half. The hallway to the testing area had all but completely collapsed except for a gap large enough for her and Danse to fit through. The old Mars Shot Project test engine hung from the ceiling like a chandelier in a concrete room lined with walkways that looked to be made of rust and held up by wishful thinking. Or at least the ones that were actually still attached, anyway.

“Look at this place,” Danse said, “the scribes would have field day in here.”  _Eye of the beholder, I guess._ Although Maya had to admit that, even in this condition and after all this time, it was pretty damn impressive. What kid didn’t dream of becoming an astronaut at least once growing up?  _And clearly not everyone was deterred by how much goddamn math it took._  “The transmitter should be in the control room at the top of the core, but it looks like the elevators are dead. We’ll have to keep heading down for now and find a way to get the facility’s power back online. There has to be a power backup system somewhere. Scout the maintenance area off the main chamber. I’ll remain here and watch our backs.” Maya took the lead down the walkway, thinking lightweight thoughts and hoping the leap of faith she was taking on them wouldn’t turn literal. Much to her frustration, neither Dogmeat or the Paladin was bothered by how structurally unsound it seemed. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of the elevator either, but the sooner they got up there, the sooner they could go their separate ways.

“C’mon pooch, let’s see what we can find.” Maya snapped her fingers and Dogmeat trotted after her down the maintenance tunnel. The test fire room wasn’t in much better shape than the rest of the building. Entire chunks of concrete were missing from the walls, papers were scattered across the floor, and a number of the shelves had been overturned. One of the generators in the back room wasn’t even connected to anything. Maya popped the fusion core out of that one and tucked it down into her bag with the other two and turned to the terminal beside her.  _Getting sick of hacking. Why can’t there just be a nice big red ‘Easy Fix-it’ button?_  Annoyed, she took a guess.  _12345._  Nope.  _54321._  Negative.  _Password._ Password accepted. Sad how often that worked.

“Engine Core power restored.” An automated voice informed her. She turned to leave, only to see through the viewing window synths dropping into the engine room. Easily a dozen coming down on Danse, and each time he eliminated one, two more dropped in. “Thermal Engine fueled, primed, and standing by for your command.”  _Huh. Big, red button._  Maya waved frantically to the Paladin in the other room. When she caught his attention she pointed up at the engine, then slammed her hand down onto the button. “Command accepted. Commencing five second countdown.” Danse looked up at the engine and even through the armor, Maya could see the realization dawn on him.

“5…” There was just enough of a break in the synths for him to book it to the maintenance tunnel.

“4…” He didn’t move, just kept firing.

“3…” He backed himself into a corner as more synths dropped into the room. 

“2…” Danse dropped to one knee and braced himself against the wall.

“1… Engine firing.” Two brief sparks and the engine roared to life. Blinding red fire flooded the room, obscuring all its occupants from view.  _Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck I killed him._  The flames died down after a few seconds and she was already running down the tunnel to check on him. “Test firing complete with an efficiency rating of 96.7 percent.” The room was still hot as a furnace, the twisted molten remains of the synths littered floor. Danse was huddled in the corner, edges or his armor still glowing from the heat.

“Oh my god! Paladin, are you okay? I tried to signal you, I thought you’d try to get out!”

“Ngh. Got… cooked by those flames, but… thanks to my power armor I’m still in one piece.” He pushed himself up off the ground and kicked a set of the synth remains out of his path. “The important thing is that we’re still alive… and we have a way to get to the transmitter. Let’s go.” He let Maya and Dogmeat up the elevator first, so as to keep them from getting burned on his armor in the closed space. Up top, he took point again and held a hand out partway up the hall. “Shh. I heard something.”

Five more synths in the control room that had clearly been looking for something if the overturned desks and gutted file cabinets were any indication. They turned as one and started  firing on the doorway that Maya and Danse had stepped out and then immediately ducked back into. The Paladin reloaded his laser rifle and charged into the room. Maya kept herself tucked back in the hall, taking shots at the enemies during each break in fire. Dogmeat growled behind her, but stayed put liked he’d been commanded earlier. 

It wasn’t as quick or neat as the rocket, but save for a few new laser burns, the two of them cleaned the synths out without a hitch. 

“Damn it! I don’t see the device anywhere.” Danse said. Okay, without  _much_  of a hitch. “Fan out and check the synth remains. They may have been after the transmitter as well.” Actually, Maya could see it from where she was standing; poking out of a gap where one of them had tucked it into their chest.  _Well I guess if you don’t have pockets…_  She yanked it free and held it up for Danse to see. “Let’s get out of here. We’ll take the service elevator up to the surface.” Paladin Danse’s armor had cooled enough for them to all squeeze into the elevator for one trip. The elevator finally dinged and they picked their way through the last section of the building, less like a room and more like a partial hallway out to a concrete porch. 

On the one hand, Maya was thrilled to be breathing fresh air again. On the other hand, it was dark. The whole ordeal had taken all day and her pip-boy told her it was just past 8 pm. A thick layer of clouds had completely blotted out the stars and the moon could almost be seen as a haze through it all.  _Delightful._

“Well, that could have gone smoother, but mission accomplished.” Danse popped his helmet off and surveyed the surrounding area. Even in the dim light of her pip-boy she could see the man was still flushed from being cooked.  _Never_ _gonna_ _stop feeling bad about that._

“It could have gone a lot worse, too.” Maya said, managing to keep the defensive tone out of her voice.

“Perhaps. But that sweep was sloppy. We were caught unprepared more than once, which is unacceptable. However, your extra gun gave us the edge we needed. I’m not certain I could have accomplished the mission alone. Thank you.”

“I’m glad to have been able to help.” She said, taken slightly aback at any show of gratitude. Maybe the Brotherhood wasn’t as hard-line military as she’d assumed if they knew how to say thanks without some sort of backhanded dig thrown in.

“It’s a refreshing change to work with a civilian who can follow orders properly.”  _Nevermind_ _, there it is._  “That being said, I believe we have two important matters to discuss. First and foremost if you’ll hand me the Deep Range Transmitter I’d like to compensate you for your assistance during this operation. I think you’ll find this weapon useful. It’s my own personal modification of the standard Brotherhood Laser Rifle. May it serve you well in battle.” Maya strapped her laser musket to her back and took the rifle he offered.

“Wait, but won’t you need it?” It’s not like she thought she’d be leaving him helpless, but she’d avoided being paid in weapons as much as she could with the settlements for a number of reasons.  _Although_ … She had seen it in action, so it’s not like she had to worry about it blowing up in her face. It was lighter than she had expected and she had to admit more effective than the musket, too.  _Better to not look a gift gun in the mouth, I guess._

“I’ll be fine. It’s standard protocol for all Brotherhood soldiers to carry a backup sidearm. Now as far as the second matter goes, I wanted to make you a proposal. We faced a lot back there. Our op could have ended in disaster, but you kept your cool and handled it like soldier.”  _Ugh, god I hope not._  “There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve got what it takes. The way I see it, you’ve got a choice. You could spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place, trading an extra hand for a meager reward. Or you could join the Brotherhood of Steel and make your mark on the world. So, what do you say?” She had no idea exactly what it was about his offer, maybe the way he sounded like an old army poster or the implication that he was saving her from wasting her life, but it rubbed her the wrong way. Hard. Maya visibly bristled and she could have sworn she saw Danse take a step back when she straightened up.

“I’d say that even if we’re small at the moment, the Minutemen are already making our mark. And they still need their General.” She said sharply. It didn’t feel like a name that Preston had just dropped on her when she said it. This time the title was  _hers._ Danse hesitated a moment, unsure of what to say after clearly offending her.

“I see. It’s a shame, but if you change your mind you know where to find us. Good luck to you. General.” He said and made his way down the road, back in the direction of the police station. 

Maya waited until he was out of sight to start going over her map. Better to wait a few moments than to accidentally end up following him after brushing him off like that. According to her map, she was gonna have to cross the river. That meant either backtracking past the Cambridge Police Station or hiking up the nearby hill and crossing over the railroad tracks. She didn’t want to do option one at all, period. Option two would be safer with full light on her side. 

“That’d be a real kicker, huh Dogmeat? Doing all that just to break my leg tripping in the dark. Come on, let’s see if we can bed down for the night.” Dogmeat barked (possibly in agreement, he was a damn smart dog) and followed Maya back into the section of building they just left. Maya pulled an old straw pillow and a trench coat out of her bag, tucked herself into the most sheltered corner in the room, flicked her pip-boy radio on to play quiet static, and did her best to settle in and sleep until morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I am so sorry this took so long. A lot of stuff happened at once, AZRF prep kinda consumed all of my creative energy for the last several months. Thank you all for hanging in there with me. You might have noticed I cut way back on the tags. Gonna add them back in as they become relevant, but right now they feel bait-y. 
> 
>    
> I drew that baseball bat a while ago. The extra flair will get added onto it later, probably "offscreen" so to speak. 
> 
> http://mypunkpansexualtwin.tumblr.com/post/150175491483/mypunkpansexualtwin-myspooniebardtwin-i-was


	4. Any Vault in a Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp Doomsday Tip: The elements can be your most dangerous foe in the wild. Mother Nature won't negotiate a ceasefire.

Backlit figures loomed over where she was laying as lights rolled past them overhead. She hurt, bad. Her gut was in knots and her lungs were screaming for air.  _My baby! I need to save my baby!_  she tried to scream, but no sound came. 

“Mrs. Gilliam… need you... calm down… deep breaths… best you can,” one of the figures above her said. Their voice was distant and her head was swimming. Tears blurred her vision, obscuring the people around her from view. She could almost make out the clothing they wore. Medical scrubs? “…know it hurts… better soon… just remember… breathe…” One of them put an oxygen mask over her face as her vision started to fade. “Breathe!”

Maya shot up with a ragged gasp, the bizarre half-nightmare quickly fading. Each breath was laden with the threat of frost and was a sharp reminder of a much fresher nightmare. Every gasp pulled her back into the vault, brought on flashes of Ewan’ s voice, of gunfire, of blood spattered and frozen on metal. Maya buried her face in her coat sleeve and forced herself to take slow, deep breaths through the stale fabric while willing away the image of the man with scar burned into her mind. Dogmeat nosed his way under her other arm, letting her cling to him until she stopped shaking. 

She pulled the bandana around her neck, usually reserved for dust storms, up over her face and counted backwards from one hundred.  _It's over, it’s done. They’re gone and now you’re_ _gonna_ _fix things. Ugh, I haven’t had a pregnancy-complications nightmare in months._ Her monumentally unhelpful inner monologue added,  _technically centuries,_  to which she responded,  _shut up._  She let out a shaky sigh, scrubbed the tears from her eyes, and killed the sound on her pip-boy. 

“It’s raining. In the middle of the night. In fucking November. No way in hell I’m sleeping outside.” The easiest solution would have been to take the elevator back down into Arc-Jet and rack out until morning.  _Would_  have been. If the elevator still had power.

It didn’t.  _Guess that backup generator didn't have that much juice left._

Probably for the best. Sure, she could circle back around to the entrance, but who knows how many synths they had missed? Or if more would show up as backup? Not to mention she’d probably be up all night waiting for the ceiling to cave in on top of her. Option two was just as appealing: suck it up and ask Danse if she could spend the night at the police station. Or Rhys, if she was unlucky. Or Haylen, if she was really lucky.  _No, stop that._

Option 3 was wander around until she found adequate shelter. In the rain. In the middle of the night. In November.  _Actually…_  Maya flicked over to the map on her pip-boy. Vault 81 wasn’t all that far. Most of the vaults were built into existing cave systems, so even if she couldn’t rent a bed, she could crash on the doorstep for a few hours. Not exactly the Ritz, but probably the best option by far. 

“Well then, command decision made. C'mon, let’s get moving.” She wrapped the trench coat tighter around herself and cinched the belt holding it in place more securely. She didn’t have any kind of hat,  _gonna_ _have to fix that_ , so she dug out some leather she had salvaged and used that as a half-assed head wrap. Satisfied with that, she crammed her pillow back into her duffel, slung that over her shoulder, and-  _hold up._  Something had clattered to the ground. Apparently Scribe Haylen's holotape had fallen out of the pocket Maya had tucked it into. “It really isn’t your damn business, Ace,” she chided herself as she popped it into her pip-boy. She flicked its light on and headed out.

“Scribe Haylen, personal log entry 324A. I’m starting to wonder if joining the Brotherhood of Steel was a good choice. I originally signed up seeking protection and comradeship, but I’m worried that I’ve traded away a bit of my humanity in the process.”  _Oh boy. How about double-or-nothing on regretting helping these guys?_  Maya focused on the tape over the hiss of the rain, the squishing of her boots through the mud, and the uncomfortable churn in her gut. “The Brotherhood’s message of hope for the future is idealistic and noble, but their methods leave a lot to be desired. The leadership seems especially misguided. Instead of diplomacy, they wield violent confrontation to exert control. Despite all that, I’ve been successfully avoiding the fighting by following the career path of a field scribe. I suppose only time will tell how long I can stand the sight of spilled blood over my own moral fiber.” The tape clicked to a halt.  _Yeah, this is_ _gonna_ _bite me in my entire ass. And that is a lot of ass,_  she joked to herself, but she was uneasy and half-tempted to fling the tape into the river below the tracks. She decided against it because it wouldn’t actually do anything to help, and with her luck she’d probably nail a mirelurk in the face with it. A fight in the middle of the night during a storm was the last thing she needed. 

Dogmeat trotted ahead, just within the circle of light the pip-boy cast. Even in the dim light she could tell he was soaked. A pang of guilt hit her, so she took advantage of the meager shelter from a nearby railroad-station-turned-farm and tugged the leather wrap off of her head.

“C'mere boy.” She beckoned and draped it over him, securing it at his collar and around his chest. “Better?” He swished his tail and gave a soft ‘boof' of approval. Maya took a moment to double check her map and add a marker for the farm. Big enough to be a target, small enough to need help sooner or later. “Okay. We're about halfway there, good. Let’s see if we can pick up the pace, I’m freezing.” The pip-boy said it was close to midnight, and she was pointed more south than east, so the distant hazy light on the horizon had to be Diamond City, not dawn. Through the rain, she could almost convince herself it was close.  _Not close enough. It has to be the vault tonight._  She took off at a light jog alongside the railroad tracks to avoid tripping over the ties and Dogmeat trotted just behind her. She raked her fingers through her now sopping wet hair to push it out of her eyes and grimaced at her hand, covered in what could only be described as muck. Two weeks and this was probably the closest thing Maya had had to a shower outside of the occasional quick wipe-down with an old rag and some fairly dubious water. She scrubbed her head with her sleeves to try and get rid of the worst of it and checked her map again. It was hard to tell exactly how far she’d gone in the dark, but the next short drop on her left should have been it. 

Maya watched for the gap, worried for a few minutes that she’d passed it. Then she stumbled across it, almost literally. It wasn’t a high cliff, but it wasn’t short enough for her to feel comfortable just jumping down. Instead she opted to scoot ungracefully down the uneven surface, scraping her palms on the rocks, but at least landing on her feet. Sure, hard enough to make her knees complain, but she considered it a win. 

“Okay, shopping list: hat, brush, gloves,” she grumbled. Dogmeat nosed at one hand after slithering down from the ledge almost effortlessly. “Show off.” There were a number of shacks near the cave entrance so if the vault was a no-go at least it wasn’t a half-hour hike back to square one. The two of them would just have to bundle up and hope for the best. They headed into the cave and Maya tugged the soaked bandana down off of her face. The air was still cold and damp, but it didn’t have that smell of frost she was trying to get away from. The tunnel leading up to the door wasn’t actually very long, and the panel to open it was identical to the one in 111. She tried the intercom button first. Seemed rude to just barge in without knocking first.

“Hello? Anyone home?” No answer. Maybe it was busted. Or maybe they were ignoring her. She tried again. “I have stuff to trade, I just want a place to stay until morning.” Still nothing. “Please, I’m freezing my ass off out here.” No dice. At that point she was exhausted, soaked, cold, and going from impatient to flat-out pissed. “Well, I already have a key, I’ll just explain after the door is open,” she grumbled, jabbing the plug from her pip-boy into the console and hit the button harder than was probably necessary.

“Whoa, hold it right there,” the intercom crackled. “Vault 81 security. I don’t know where you got a working pip-boy, but you better start talking.”  _Oh_ now _you'll answer. Guess I didn’t knock hard enough._

“I got it in Vault 111.” Maya answered.  _Admittedly off of a skeleton,_ _buuut_ _you don’t need to know that._  

“Vault 111? Haven’t heard of that one yet. And exactly what sort of business are you looking to take care of here in 81?” She could hear the sneer of skepticism in the security guard's voice and was tempted to just go hunker down in one of the shacks. She was too cold and tired to have much more than a shred of patience at that point and he was using it up rather quickly.

“Like I already said, I have some stuff to trade and was hoping you might have an extra bed I could borrow for the night. It’s pouring out there.” She explained and even managed to keep the growing irritation out of her voice.

“Is that so? And you really expect me to believe… oh! Overseer!”

“Who is it, Edwards?” Another voice, apparently the vault’s overseer asked. Something about the shift in Edwards' tone reminded Maya of a kid who'd been caught trying to be The Boss behind Mom's back.  _Lord knows I’m familiar with that._

“Ma’am, some new Commonwealth traveler, not one our usual traders.” He replied almost meekly.

“Well if someone wants in, they can earn it like everyone else. Let me speak to them.” She said plainly. “Sorry about that. Officer Edwards here was just doing his job. I’m sure you can understand our need for caution. For newcomers, we like to operate on exchange. You help us, we help you.”

Maya sighed.  _Great._ “Well, that depends. I need more details.”

“Fair enough. Fusion cores, three to be exact.”  _Oh thank god._  “You get the fusion cores, we grant the access.”

“Done!” Maya almost shouted in relief, then cleared her throat. “I, uh, already have what you need.”

“Really? Well then, by all means… welcome. I'll be down to meet you at the entrance.” Orange lights flashed above the vault door as it slid out of place with a deafening screech of metal on metal. Dogmeat flattened his ears at the grating sound and she wished she could do the same. Instead, she took the brief moment to dig the cores out of the bottom of her bag. Maya made her way up the steps as the door rolled out of the way, then across the platform to meet the Overseer. “Sorry about that. As I said, I’m sure you understand our need for caution. Gwen McNamara. Overseer. Welcome to Vault 81. Here, we pride ourselves on maintaining a successful vault over these past two centuries. We’d like to be completely self-sufficient, but there are certain resources we can’t provide ourselves. As you’ll soon see, we have a few maintenance projects underway.”

“I’m impressed you maintained a successful Vault for so long. My understanding is that’s quite a feat.” Maya said. The Overseer had red hair tied up in a messy bun and was short and stocky, although still not as much as Maya herself. There was something about her, between the sharp eyes and the way that she spoke and held herself, that said ‘No-Nonsense’ in big bold letters. Maya couldn’t help but respect that.

“Thanks. I owe it to the Overseers before me.”  _Giving credit where it’s due. Not a lot of mayor types can do that._   “But some here would disagree. A few believe opening the doors to the Commonwealth was a mistake. I’ve heard news of things improving, but it’s still got a long ways to go. It’s why I like to use a give and take system. If outsiders are willing to help us, we're willing to help them. Speaking of, if you’re ready, I can take those fusion cores from you.”

“Of course. I’m sure you'll put them to good use.” Maya said and handed them off.

“I won’t, but Dr. Penske certainly will. As far as a place to stay, we don't really have any extra beds, but the DeLucas usually keep a sleeping bag or two down near the reactor core. I'll radio ahead and let them know you're coming. Now, I have work to do.”

“Ma'am. What about the dog?” A nearby guard asked.

“I’ll allow it. Security is already extra mindful as it is. If she’s lived this long in the Commonwealth, I’m sure she’s chosen her friends wisely.”  _I'm sure as hell trying._  “If you need anything else, I’ll be in my office.” Gwen added and headed down the hall.

The guard, probably Edwards if Maya guessed right, stepped forward. “Don’t go feeling all special because the Overseer let you in here. You weren’t the first and you certainly won’t be the last.” He warned her and stalked off. Maya headed down the hall the Overseer had left through and was stopped briefly by a doctor. He gave her a quick basic checkup and let her through after confirming that she didn't have anything contagious and was clear of radiation. Both were pleasant surprises, once she actually thought about it. After getting waved through she hit the button on the elevator and waited for the door to open.

Dogmeat immediately darted in when it did, taking interest in something in the corner hissing and spitting at him. Maya hit the button to go down and shooed him away from the little gray cat backed into the corner. She reached out a hand to let it investigate her, then lightly scratched behind its ears. The cat rewarded her with an affectionate headbutt and a deep, rumbly purr. She picked him up and continued scratching. “I bet you belong to someone downstairs, don’t you little guy?” As if on cue, the elevator door opened to reveal a little girl anxiously bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Here kit- oh! Uh, sorry ma’am.” Her eyes widened, surprised, Maya guessed, at the haggard stranger coming down into the vault at that time of night. “I was just looking for- Ashes!”

“I take it he’s yours?” Maya leaned down to let the girl take him from her arms.

“Yeah! Thanks ma’am! I was so worried he might get out. Nobody here would step foot outside for him.” She buried her face in Ashes' fur for a moment, then held her hand out to Maya. “I'm Erin.”

“Maya.” She shook the kid's hand. “Can you point me to the reactor? The Overseer said there should be a couple of extra sleeping bags that I could use for the night.”

“I can bring you to the entrance, but then I have to head back to my room." Erin said and headed down the stairs and down a hall marked ' **Residential** '. Maya followed her and motioned for Dogmeat to keep back so as not to scare the cat any more. Erin stopped them at another door next to the vault classroom. "It's just through this door, down another little hallway. I’d show you, but Mom doesn’t like me going down there. Plus I need to get back to bed cause it’s really late. There aren't any other ways to go though, so you won't get lost. Goodnight ma'am!”

“Alright. Thank you, Erin. Goodnight.” Maya said and waved as the kid left. "Come on, Dogmeat. I'm exhausted and I'm sure you could use a good rest too." She and the dog headed deeper into the vault, through a hall that felt more like a glorified storage closet and down a short flight of stairs. An old Mister Handy looked up from the panel he was working at, briefly illuminated by a crackle of electricity from the reactor he was working on. He was old, his shell missing and the rest of him more covered in rust than not, but still functioning smoothly enough.

"Ah, you must be the woman that Overseer McNamara called about. I was told to make Mister DeLuca's usual spot available to you for the night." He told her. "Just behind you, in the little room under the stairs there." The bot gestured with the eye-stalk focused on her, his hands still full with the reactor panel.

"His usual spot? I appreciate the bed but I'd hate to deprive someone else for a night."  _Admittedly not enough to stop me. I'll just feel bad after I'm not about to pass out._

"Don't trouble yourself, ma'am, it's only his usual spot when he's trying to hide from one of the few jobs he hasn't already ordered me to take care of. One night won't do any harm, he'll just have to sleep in his own bed." The bot said dryly. 

"Alright, thank you." Maya said and headed to the little shack he had indicated. The Mister Handy kept one eye turned in her direction, probably under orders to keep an eye on her while she was down there.  _It's what I'd do, so I can't say I blame them._  She dropped her duffel bag in a corner, dug her pillow out of it, then dropped that on top of the duffel. Her own sleeping bag got unrolled and dropped in front of the shack entrance for Dogmeat, and she laid the DeLuca's spare under the desk out along the wall next to her things. She didn't even need the radio static with the hum and crackle of the reactor. "G'night Dogmeat." She said and laid down, asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow.

***

"Jesus, Bobby! Can you not do that here? What if the Overseer or Whitaker caught you?" A woman's voice woke Maya from her thankfully dreamless sleep. 

"Cut me some slack, Tina. I've been working for 12 hours straight." Bobby responded sharply.  _12 hours, my ass. You weren't here earlier and I've only been asleep for..._  Maya looked up at the clock on a nearby desk.  _Fuck. Okay yeah, not as much of an exaggeration as I thought, I've been out for like 11 hours._

"Guh!" Maya went to double check the time on her pip-boy but it had apparently also gone to sleep, and she was instead rewarded with her own reflection in the dark glass. "Jesus, I don't have bags under my eyes, I have fucking  _luggage._  Shopping list; brush, hat, gloves, and some damn sunglasses." she grumbled to herself and fiddled with a switch to wake the pip-boy back up.

"Oh you've been working? Sure. I bet bossing around Old Rusty really takes it out of you." the woman outside shot back. Maya was glad she had to take a moment to pack back up because she really didn't want to get in the middle of that fight this early in the noon.

"You've no idea, Miss DeLuca." drawled the Mister Handy from earlier.

"Hey, will you both just get lost? You're killing my buzz here." Bobby said.

"With pleasure, sir."

"Fine. Get caught. Then you won't have the choice to leave because the Overseer will make it for you." Tina huffed. Maya continued busying herself with her things, strapping at least the leather armor and her coat back into place and reorganizing her bag until the coast sounded clear enough, then made her way back up the stairs.

Apparently the school had just let out for lunch, if the handful of kids filtering out of the class was any indication. One, a boy of maybe 10 or 12 with bright red hair ran up to her.

"Hey lady, are you really from the Commonwealth?" he asked. 

"Uh yeah, I am. Why?" Maya asked, still a little out of it from just waking up.

"I've never met anyone from the Commonwealth before. I'm Austin. Thought maybe you might want someone to show you around. Just five caps." The kid asked, still looking her and Dogmeat over curiously.

"Wait, how did you know I was here?" She asked.

"Gran says I have a knack for findin' out stuff I'm not supposed to. Actually, she ain't my gran. She's just Priscilla, but she acts like my gran. When my mom and dad died she took me in." He frowned a little and then shook his head. "Anyways, you want me to show you around or not?"

"Alright, sure. Give me the tour, Austin." Maya said and picked through one of the belt pouches. "And here are your caps."  _Bottlecaps. That is still so damn weird._

"Yes!" He grinned and pocketed the caps. "Well since we're right here I'll start with Miss Katy. She runs the school. I bet you didn't have to go to school." 

Maya decided not to interrupt him by telling him about going to school until she was nearly thirty to be a lawyer. "Are there a lot of kids in the vault?" she asked instead.

"Not that many. The Overseer says we're using population control, whatever that is." He shrugged. "Anyway, class is boring most of the time, but Gran says I have to go anyway."

"Your Gran is a smart woman, Austin. So who's your friend here?" A woman, presumably Miss Katy, asked. 

"She's from the Commonwealth! I'm showing her around the vault." Austin said, clearly eager to move on to the next stop. Dogmeat circled him, definitely picking up on his energy.

"Well don't forget to eat, it is lunchtime after all," she told him, then turned to address Maya. "If the tour takes you to the commissary I recommend the roasted corn soup, Ms...?"

"Maya Ace. Pleasure to meet you." She shook the teacher's hand. She was considerably taller, slimmer, younger, and prettier than Maya.  _Not a high bar to clear, but damn if she didn't sail over it. Actually, she looks_ _kinda_ _like J._  "And thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Actually, if I could ask you a favor? If you're that new traveler then you must have had so many adventures out in the Commonwealth." Katy said.

"Oh, I've certainly had a few interesting moments." Maya ran her fingers through her hair, pointedly ignoring where the Deathclaw scars ran up into the hairline.

"No need to be so modest, my kids would love to hear about anything you've done out there. I was wondering, would you mind talking to them and sharing one of your experiences after lunch?" That got Austin's attention, who up until then had been bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently.

"Ooh, could you tell us how you got those cool scars on your face?" He piped up. Miss Katy opened her mouth to scold him before Maya spoke.

"I guess that depends, but I certainly don't mind taking a few minutes. What kinds of stories are you looking for? Anything in particular I should stay away from?" Maya asked.

"Nothing too violent," Katy said, prompting an 'aw!' from Austin. "I'm sure they'll have lots of questions for you though. Thank you so much! I'll let you and Austin get back to the tour now."

"Next stop is the medical clinic." Austin said, all but pulling Maya along to avoid another distraction. "This way, downstairs. Doc Forsythe and Rachel are okay, I guess. But I don't go there unless I have to. Or unless Gran makes me."  Down the stairs just past the classroom. Dogmeat was already taking point like he knew the place. Admittedly it wasn't far, but Maya knew that by then end of the tour that her knees would be complaining at her for all the up and down. Austin stopped them at the window just outside a room where she could see a doctor working. "This is our medical clinic. If you get hurt or sick, you can come down here. Doctor Forsythe says I can't bother him or Rachel when they're working."

"Do you get sick very often?"

"Just colds and stuff, but not a lot. Hardly anyone here gets sick. Mr. Summerset broke his foot once though. They put a big cast on it and he had to walk with crutches." Austin started heading back up the stairs. "Now we go see Erin, she's gonna be so surprised when she sees you. She told me how you helped her with Ashes. That was really nice of you. Erin and I spend a lot of time together. She's my best friend and since you helped her, you're my friend now too."  _Aww._  He took her up the hall they'd come from, past the class and the reactor core, second door on the left. "Erin, look who I found! The stranger from the Commonwealth."

"I'm the one who told you about her!" Erin rolled her eyes, then waved. "Hi again, Miss Maya. Austin's showing you around?"

"Yep. He tells me you two are best friends."

"Yeah, we've been friends forever. There aren't a lot of other kids in the vault." She teased and stuck her tongue out when Austin pouted.

"I was gonna take Maya up to meet Gran next, maybe show her the shops in the atrium and then get lunch before we go back to class. Wanna come with?" He asked. Erin nodded and hopped up. "Alright, then let's all go see Gran. I live with her. Like I said earlier, she's not actually my real grandmother. My parents died when I was real little." Back through the hall that split off from the residential area and into the atrium. Dogmeat snuffled rather insistently at Erin's hands, fascinated by the smell of the cat while they followed the wall just past the stairs leading back up to the vault entrance. "Hi Gran!"

"Austin, what are you doing here? Are you bothering that stranger from the Commonwealth?" An old woman, presumably Dr. Penske, looked up from a planter she was checking and frowned at her 'grandson.'

"I'm not bothering her, I’m helping her!" Austin said and crossed his arms when she grunted skeptically. "That's Gran, she takes care of me. You can call her Dr. Penske. She acts all grumpy, but it's not for real."

"Says you." Dr. Penske said dryly.

"She runs our hydroponics lab. It's where we get all our food."

"All of it? You don't get anything from outside?"

"Nope, Gran grows it all right here. She's really smart." Austin beamed as Dr. Penske grunted again. "Next stop, Horatio." He and Erin both said goodbye to his Gran and Austin took them across the way to another shop. "Do you like your hair? I like mine."  _I have no idea, I haven't seen it through all the gunk that's built up on my head. The answer is probably no._  "I hate combing it though. Gran makes me comb it."

"You could always shave it." Erin said. "I could draw a face on your bald head."

"Very funny, Erin." He responded sarcastically.

"Austin, that hair of yours is a mole rat's nest." A man stood at the barber's chair, glancing up at them briefly through the mirror, then going back to working on his client. Maya tried very hard not to feel self-conscious. She failed.

"This is where Horatio fixes up people's hair. My mom comes here all the time."

"Gran hardly comes at all. She makes me get my hair cut though. It's not fair."

"Think he could do mine? I might stop by next time I'm here."  _Provided it's not too caked in dirt._

"Sure! He can turn your hair into just about anything." Austin pouted again. "I wanted him to make mine look like a skull, but Gran wouldn't let him."

"Let's take her to my mom's shop next!" Erin said, already halfway up the stairs. Austin and Maya caught up to her leaning against the wall next to the shop window. "My family runs the depot, although it's usually mom at the counter. If you need something, they'll be the ones that have it." She said proudly.

"Good to know, Erin. Thanks."  _Definitely coming back here._

"Okay, next stop is the Overseer." Austin said, eager to take the lead back. "I bet you've killed a lot of weird stuff." 

"And raiders! I bet you fought raiders too!" Erin added.

"Miss Katy asked her to tell us some of the stuff she's done out there after lunch."

"Cooool!" Maya couldn't help but smile at their excitement.  

"The Overseer's office is up there." Austin said, pointing down another hallway at the end of the room. "They're busy up there and don't like to be bothered. She makes the rules, but she's nice. I like her."

"Does she deal with people that break the rules?" Maya asked. Not that she was planning anything, but not everyone seemed thrilled with her being there. Better to know who might be on her side.

"Security mostly takes care of that." Erin said.

"But she's in charge of all the security officers." Austin added. "It doesn't happen very often, though. Last stop, the diner! Now we gotta go back downstairs." Halfway down, Maya's knee started clicking.  _Yayyy_ _..._  "Everybody eats there. Sometimes it gets real crowded. The Summersets are nice though. You'll like them."

"Hello Austin, Erin. I see you two are showing our guest from the Commonwealth around." An elderly woman behind the counter said.  _Gotta_ _say, I like guest better than stranger._  

"Yes ma'am." Austin turned back to Maya. "This is the Sunshine Diner. Gran says that they take all her hard work and turn it into swill. Like I said, she pretends to be crankier than she is."

"Mr. and Mrs. Summerset run the diner. They're pretty nice and Mrs. Summerset's pies are the best." Erin said.

"How is their food, other than the pies? It all smells fantastic." Maya said. She suddenly realized she couldn't remember the last time she ate.

"I like it." Austin said and added in a conspiratorial whisper, "Mrs. Summerset always sneaks me and Erin seconds."

"I'll save you two a slice of pie come dinner time, if you promise to share." Mrs. Summerset said. "But for now what can I get you three? You need to eat quick, class resumes in 15 minutes."

"The usual for me, please." Erin said.

"Me too!"

"Miss Katy recommended the roasted corn soup?" Maya asked.

"Alright, I'll have that right up for you. That'll be 15 caps." Erin stepped forward to cover it but Maya stopped her.

"You two gave me an excellent tour, the least I can do is treat you guys to lunch." She insisted.  _Woman, you are a goddamn softie._  

She passed off the 15 caps and took a seat at a nearby table. She definitely had to leave after she talked to the class, but it was nice to have a little time to just  _breathe_. It was busy, but not the wide-eyed-terror, head-on-a-swivel busy like she'd been the last two weeks. It was almost  _normal,_  and the realization made her heart ache.  _This should have been us. We should have gotten this instead. He'd be alive, I'd have my baby, it isn't fair, he deserved better--_  She was spiraling, the flashbacks hitting her in full force. Frost in her lungs, Shaun crying, the gunshot and Ewan's blood spattering against the back of the pod and freezing on contact, and that man's face. His voice like tar and gravel, eyes regarding her more coldly than the freezer she was stuck in.  _At least we still have the backup..._ God, what did that even mean?

"Miss Maya?" Erin asked cautiously. "Are you alright? You got really pale all of a sudden, and you're shaking." The concern in the kid's voice and the reassuring weight of Dogmeat's head on her leg managed to stave off the episode.

"Wh- no, I'm fine honey. It's just been longer than I realized since the last time I ate." She was a good liar, but Erin seemed skeptical.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm here." Mrs. Summerset said, carrying a tray full of food over to where they were seated. Two cram and "cheese" sandwiches on toast, with chips and carrot sticks, a large bowl of soup that smelled like heaven, three nukas, and a slice of pie. "The pie is on the house—Don't trouble yourself missy, if it makes you feel better, it's leftover from last night's dinner." Maya raised an eyebrow. "And what's that look for? I can take it back if you like."

"Oh, no. No, thank you for the pie. It's just that I'm closer to 40--"  _248? Shut up. "--_ than I like to admit. I haven't been called 'missy' in a while." She chuckled. "Again, thank you, Mrs. Summerset." The old woman nodded and headed back to the kitchen while the three of them dug in. Maya made a note to thank Miss Katy again, the soup tasted as good as it smelled, and the pie was just as good, even if it wasn't fresh and she didn't really recognize the fruit.

"Anyway," Austin said through a mouthful of sandwich, "Pretty good tour, right? The Overseer says I'm good with people. Way better than Gran. But I dunno," he shrugged and washed down his last bite with some cola, "I think Gran's pretty good. At least with me she is."

"I don't mind prickly. She actually kinda reminds me of my Nonna. But yes, thank you both for the tour." Erin and Austin cocked their heads. "Oh, uh. My grandmother, on my papa's side of the family." Maya finished her last few bites and Erin took their plates back to the Summersets, just in time for the kids to start heading back to class.

She followed them back down the hall and hung at the back of the room. Once all the kids had taken their seats, Miss Katy stood to announce her. Austin and Erin turned in their seats and waved as Maya made her way to the front of the class.

"Children," she said over the chatter. "Children, listen up. We have a guest today who's going to tell us stories about the Commonwealth."

Austin's hand shot up first. "Did you ever fight a deathclaw?"  _Oh boy._

"How do you know about deathclaws?" Maya asked.

"I hear stuff. Gran heard about them from some Commonwealth guy." He shrugged.

"To answer your question, yes I have. But I had help from one of the Minutemen." A few of the kids started asking things all at once, most boiling down to 'what happened?' "Well, a group of raiders had my friend Preston trapped. He and another friend of mine, Sturges, told me where to find some power armor and a minigun." A chorus of 'ooh's rose up from the class. "They were both pretty old, but they did the job. We managed to beat the raiders pretty easily, but the noise attracted a deathclaw. It charged me, but Preston was ready up on a balcony with his laser musket."

"I bet you were glad he was there. Miss Katy says that deathclaws are huge lizards with big, nasty claws."

"I was, and they are, and faster than they look too. Preston and I kept shooting until it was dead. It took a lot of work, and the deathclaw even managed to get through my armor in a couple of places--" 

"Is that how you got your scars?" Austin asked. She turned her head so the kids could see them better.

"Yep, it got me pretty good when it pulled my helmet off and I was definitely scared, but we won. My friend Sturges actually made me a special bat with its claws. Would that be alright to show the class, Miss Katy, or...?" Maya was doing her best to keep it mild, so everything felt like a massive understatement, but Katy hadn't objected so she figured she was in the clear.

"I think we can take a moment to show them--" the class cheered, "--but no touching." Katy said, her voice trying to remain neutral but betraying her own curiosity. Maya dug the bat out of her bag and let the kids come up to see it three at a time. After everyone had seen it, Miss Katy stood up. "Thank you so much for that story. Children, say thank you." Maya tucked the bat back into her bag while the kids thanked her. "And, we have a thank you gift for you. Here." She handed Maya an old Grognak comic, one that as a kid she had never been able to find for her own collection. That was probably ash now. It was a shame, she had wanted to pass that on to— _no, we're not going down that road right now._

"Thank you so much, and thank you all for having me. Maybe next time I'm here I'll have time to share another story, if that's alright?" Miss Katy nodded and returned to the kids' lessons. Maya took that as her cue to leave and snapped her fingers at Dogmeat to follow her out of the room. She made her way back to the atrium, up the stairs and had her hand halfway to the button to summon the elevator before she remembered she still had her shopping list. She turned on her heel and jogged back to the general store. A woman looked up briefly from the register.

"Our Commonwealth guest. Welcome to The Depot, and pardon the clutter. I don't get much time to tidy up these days." She said, returning to her work.

"Oh? Why not?" Given the state of most of the places she'd been lately, Maya hadn't really noticed.

"Ugh, where to begin. When you're dealing with items that are all over 200 years old, work just accumulates like crazy. Some days It's all I can do to keep my head above water." She shook her head like she was cutting herself off before she really got going. "But you probably don't wanna hear about all that. Let me know if you want to take a look."

"Eh, I have a couple minutes to chat. You're Erin's mother, right? Do you run this place by yourself?" Maya leaned on the counter and took a moment to look at what was there. Nothing she was looking for.

"Yeah, Mrs. Combes, call me Alexis. And, there's my husband, Holt, but once you need him he's nowhere to be found. I swear, the cat is more help than he is. Oh, by the way thank you for helping with that. Erin's been talking about you all morning." Alexis picked up a clipboard and moved to the other end of the small shop. "One sec. Gotta finish up some cataloguing."

"It's no trouble. But what makes you say that about Holt?" Maya asked. Alexis' shoulders dropped and she lowered the clipboard.

"I... I really shouldn't get into it," she said, voice quieter, like she didn't want to be overheard.

"Seems like you could use someone to vent to. And I may be nosy, but I promise I'm no gossip." Maya said. Alexis sighed, then shrugged.

"Holt's just... changed. He's never around, always claiming he has some errands to run. Back when we first met, he seemed devoted til the end. He actually taught me everything I know when it comes to fixing things. He'd spend every minute with me, and of course Erin after we had her. Now..." Alexis had gone back to work, scribbling on the clipboard harder than was probably necessary.  _Not that I'm judging._  "It's like we don't exist, and every conversation we have is a fight. I've tried talking to him about it, but he won't listen to me. He's always saying he doesn't have time."

"He sounds like a fuckin' asshole to me." It had fallen out and for a second Maya was worried she'd crossed a line. "Uh. Sorry."

"Mm. Most days. If I didn't know the man he used to be, the man I fell in love with? I'd agree, one hundred percent. But enough about him. Thanks for listening, but I need to focus on work. Just lemme know if I can help you with anything here at The Depot. We've got a little bit of everything here, 'cept weapons. Only security carries weapons around here."

"I've got plenty in that department,"  _maybe too much, honestly,_  "but I do have a couple of things I'm after, if you don't mind me taking a look around."

"Go for it." Maya picked through the cluttered shelves of the depot until she found what she needed. She plopped an old wooden brush and comb set, an ushanka hat (for bad weather), a cabbie hat (for bad hair), a set of aviator sunglasses, a box of Fancy Lad's that was miraculously clear of radiation, and a set of kid's batting gloves. Aside from the scrapes on her hands, she'd built up a few unpleasant blisters. It wasn't like she was wasting stims, but she'd taken enough bad hits that the frequent stimpaks would fix those up too before they'd had a chance to turn into calluses. So she was definitely looking forward to breaking the gloves in. After shelling out another 26 caps and putting on the hat, glasses, and gloves, Maya turned to leave--

\--And bounced off a wall of muscle. The man was easily twice her size, which made it all the easier for him to look down on her. She tried to keep from bristling too visibly.

"So, you're the new gal. I heard we let someone into the vault. You're still here? How long do you plan on sticking around?" He crossed his arms and sneered.

"Be nice, Holt." Alexis said off behind her. He didn't even act like he'd noticed.  _I was right. Massive fuckin asshole._

"I was just leaving, actually." She said sharply. She squared her shoulders and stood up a little straighter; wouldn't be the first time some jackass bigger than her tried—and failed—to intimidate her.

"Good. We can take care of ourselves here in 81. We don't need to be letting in every stray traveler that comes our way." A dozen insults and comebacks sprang to mind that Maya managed to bite back. She really didn't have the time or the luxury to be picking fights, especially in places where she was tolerated at best. 

"Well far be it from me to try and change your mind."  _Dick._ Maya turned back to the counter as she headed out the door. "You take care, Alexis. I'll make sure to swing by next time I visit. Maybe we can get a coffee?" Mrs. Combes smiled and nodded and Maya briefly relished the sour look on Mr. Combes' face. Then she felt bad for probably being the start of their next fight.  _I'll be paying for that coffee. Maybe bring along some scotch, too._ Maya overheard them from the shop on her way to the elevator, not quite a shouting match, but they certainly weren't shying away from raising their voices.  _Shit. Definitely some scotch._ She wanted to go back and apologize now, but the elevator was already closing, plus she figured it'd just make things worse.

Not to mention she had her own family troubles to deal with, and she'd been putting them off for too long. Come hell or high water, she was determined to get to Diamond City. 

_Today. And heaven help whatever the fuck gets in my way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to keep apologizing for the whole update-every-six-months-at-best thing I've got going on. As always I'm open to feedback! Questions, comments, I'll eat it up. To all of you who've stuck with me, thank you so much and again, I am so sorry.


	5. Welcome to the City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp Doomsday Tip: Don't matter if it's in the big cities or out here in the middle of nowhere, today or a thousand years down the line; so long as there are people still kickin', the worst in people survives.

It was almost two in the afternoon by the time Maya got out of Vault 81. The November air was cold, but the sun was warm on her back and she found herself in a better mood than she'd been in for... well for a while. She dug out the box of snack cakes she'd bought in the vault depot and pulled one out as she and Dogmeat headed down the path. A cold nose nudged eagerly at her hand while she ate and a pair of big brown eyes looked up at her so very sweetly.

"Wh- no. You can't have my cake." Dogmeat tilted his head and panted happily. "It's one of the chocolate ones, it's bad for you." Maya said. He whined and pouted. "I said no!" She replied indignantly. He sat and wouldn't budge. "Hey, 'no' does not mean do a trick for one." He sat up on his hind legs, still watching what was left of the snack cake in her hand. "I said  _don't_ do a tri- oh my god,  _fine_. I'll give you a vanilla one, but you only get  _one_." Dogmeat barked happily and sat down, watching her closely while she pulled out and unwrapped another cake just for him. "Here. Ass. You're lucky I don't like those ones as much. They taste more like banana than vanilla." Dogmeat, apparently not caring what the fuck a banana or a vanilla was, wolfed down the cake in one bite. 

Maya crammed the box back in her duffel, put on her newly acquired sunglasses, gloves, and cabbie hat, and headed east around the edge of the little pond she hadn't noticed the night before. The afternoon sunlight glittered on the surface of the murky water and danced across what little plant life around the edges of the pond still clung to its green color despite winter quickly bearing down. She breathed in the crisp air, still almost sweet from last night's rain, and exhaled noisily, marveling at how pretty the apocalypse was.  _At least some of it anyways._  She was finally on the edge of the city and the crowded, ruined buildings provided stark contrast to the tiny flash of life from the pond below. Gunfire cracked and popped ahead, echoing off the concrete in a way that made it hard for her to pin down exactly where it was coming from. She took a moment to shrug her trenchcoat off and strap her chestplate back on, and then quickly wrap herself back up while the coat was still warm. She held the laser rifle from Paladin Danse at the ready in case something -or someone- managed to get the drop on her, hoping the laser would reduce the mess if it came to a fight.

"Stay alert, buddy. I don't like the look of those busted out windows up there." She gestured to some of the higher buildings that loomed overhead.  _Frankly, I don't like the look of all of it anyway. It'd be just my luck for one of those things to decide that today's the day it fell on some poor shmuck's head._  "Actually, can you tell which direction that gunfire's coming from, boy?" Dogmeat flicked his ears and trotted around a small intersection up ahead, then froze and pointed down the most direct street. Maya sighed. "Of course. Couldn't be the dead end or the long way around, could it? Good boy. I'll dig you out another snack cake when we get to town." The dog wagged his tail excitedly and huffed in approval.  _God, you are weirdly smart._  

He led her down a darkened street and to the opening of a nearby alleyway, and she wrinkled her nose at the foul reek of rotting meat that hit her full force as she rounded the corner. Maya swallowed hard against the bile that rose in her throat and pulled her bandana up over her face again. The alleyway was blocked off by a plywood wall with a rusted metal door set into it, but that wasn't what held her attention; instead she was trying very hard to force herself to stop staring at the decapitated corpses on spikes and dangling from meat hooks on either side of the entrance as a very clear sign that said 'Keep Out.' She reconsidered for a moment, glancing down another nearby street, and grimaced at the sound of even more gunfire and the sound of supermutants shouting.  _Potential raiders it is._   _Guess it's a good thing_ _I've never been good at being told what to do. Ugh, maybe they're not home? That'd be nice._  She forced her eyes forward, focusing on the lock in front of her and trying to keep her hands from shaking while she fiddled with the bobby pin.

The door creaked quietly as she pushed it open just a sliver to get a peek into the alleyway.  _Clear so far._  She crept in as quietly as she could, which wasn't made any easier by the plywood walkway squeaking under each step. Up ahead was a raider who had his back to her but was blocking her way through.  _Shit._  Maya straightened up, leveled the laser rifle at his heart, pulled the trigger, and was sent stumbling backwards into the wall from the recoil. Thankfully the shot didn't miss, if the smoking pile of ash was any indicator, but she had alerted at least four more raiders to her presence. She flopped gracelessly into the nearby cover of a low cinderblock wall and pulled out the 10mm pistol.

"Why the fuck would a laser weapon have recoil like that?" She shouted to the rifle she'd hastily crammed back into her bag. "It shoots  _light!_  What the shit?!" The briefest break in gunfire gave her the opportunity to pop over her cover and return fire. She grazed one raider and shot another through the eye, then dropped back into cover before she could see the second one hit the ground. Dogmeat had disappeared from her side and her head whipped around to where he had slipped around the edge of the alley to flank them. He leapt over a low wooden barricade to tackle another raider and drag them out into the open, and Maya took advantage of the clear shot to put three bullets in their chest. Dogmeat quickly skittered away from where the third raider's gunfire kicked up dirt at his paws and she laid down cover fire while shouting, "Stay the fuck away from my dog, you cock blister!" The raider fell backwards trying to avoid her shot and the dog pounced, quick to rip the bastard's throat out.

Maya dropped back into cover to reload while the last raider laid into the cinderblocks with his machine gun. Another break in fire gave her the chance to peek around the side, but she quickly pulled back as he let another flurry of bullets loose. She waited until she heard his magazine drop and then popped back up to return fire.  _Shit, where'd he_ _go_ _?_  She scanned between the wooden shacks crammed into the alleyway and saw his shadow cast out past where he was hiding behind an old plywood wall. Her bullets shot through the ancient wood easily, but she spent half the clip on him just in case, then carefully picked her way over the bodies and through the nearly claustrophobic setup. She kept her eyes forward, determined not to look at the mess she and Dogmeat had made because she knew she'd ruin her bandana if she did. 

From there the alleyway was clear and she and Dogmeat were safe to move on. Maya took a moment to mark the spot on her pip-boy's map because all things considered, it would be pretty easy to solidify its defenses, not to mention having a place for people to stop over on the way to Diamond City wouldn't be such a bad idea. _Y'know_ _._ _Even if all the other potential neighbors are_ _gonna_ _be garbage._  She clambered up an old pile of bricks and pulled down the chains holding the door at the other end of the alley closed. It opened out onto another street and Maya could already hear more gunfire up ahead, as well as the deep booming voices of multiple supermutants.  _Great._ _So_ _much for avoiding the_ _greenskins_ _._  The 10mm went back into its holster on her hip and she pulled the laser musket out from where it was slung across her back since mutants tended to shrug off shots from the latter like it was a potato gun.

She and Dogmeat stayed low in the shadows between buildings, hoping to get a good angle on the fight and decide if they were gonna skip out or try to get the drop on the mutants..  _God, I need to stretch out_ _soon_ _, my back is killing me staying hunched over_ _like this_ _. My knees aren't too thrilled either._  Half a dozen mutants fired from inside a gutted building down at a nearby tree below. Under the tree was one person, pinned by the oncoming fire, next to three dead mutants and a dead mutant hound. If they had looked like a raider Maya would have moved on, but they didn't. She sighed irritably at the ' **Diamond City This Way!** ' painted on the brick wall just above her head, and then dashed across to the tree.

She skidded to a halt and then whipped around to where a mutant had been trying to flank up on a nearby rooftop.  _Crank, two, three, four, fire!_  She managed a direct hit to its head, effectively blinding it and sending it toppling forward off the second story and face first into the concrete. Its head splattered against the sidewalk and Maya let out a triumphant cheer only to be yanked back behind cover by her new friend who was dressed as some kind of cross between a SWAT officer and an...  _umpire? Motherfucker._ _Umpire cops._ _Diamond City._ _They're set up in the old goddamn Rad Sox Stadium. How_ _did I not put that together sooner? I wonder if they kept up the paint job on--_  Her thoughts were interrupted by a very different kind of green monster shouting something about eating Dogmeat and she popped back out from behind the tree and fired at one peeking out of a window on the ground floor. 

"Why do you fuckers keep threatening my goddamn dog!" She shouted and hid to crank the musket again.  _It definitely has some oomph, but goddamn this thing is slow._  The umpire was shouting something else just off to her side.

"Not afraid of mutants, huh? You're our kind of gal!" He said to her and then fired back at the supermutants while yelling, "God, I am gonna strangle Jonesy! 'It's just outside the gates' they said! 'There's nothin' to worry about' they said! 'One patrol alone won't kill you' they said! We get out of this, they owe me a drink!" With a few good shots another mutant went stumbling off the roof and down to the street below.

"First one's on me, buddy!" Maya shouted back over the sound of a frag grenade going off on the other side of the tree.  _Actually, that gives me an idea._  "Dogmeat, flush 'em out!" The dog barked affirmation and ran off to the building, barking up a storm and snapping at the mutants' heels. Maya hastily dug out and then duct taped a half a dozen fusion cells together while he led them out into the open. "How good is your throwing arm?"

"Pretty good?" The umpire-guard said while he reloaded an old pipe rifle.

"Great! When they all run out that door, throw this at their feet, I'm gonna shoot it!" She directed.

"Will that work?"

"I sure hope so!" She pushed the lump into his hands and readied the laser musket. "Ready..." The group of four chased her dog down the stairs to the ground floor. "Dogmeat, heel! Double time!" He doubled his pace and came tearing out of the door well ahead of the mutants. "Throw it!" The fusion cells hit the ground dead center between the super mutants. Maya's own aim was true too, and after a split second where the mutants turned as one to see the bolt of red strike the package, it exploded spectacularly, scattering meat and concrete in all directions and leaving little more than a smoking crater.

"God DAMN!" Her new friend clapped her on the back while Maya rapidly blinked against the massive spot the makeshift fusion explosive had burned into her vision. The last four mutants were dead, judging by the bits of them that still rained down in the little plaza that she, Dogmeat, and the guard backed away from. They were, again, in the clear. "That was a hell of a trick you pulled there, lady. I'd say that first round's on me. If you're going to Diamond City, stop by the Dugout and tell old Vadim that Ricky sent you."

"Hell, I never turn down a free drink. I'll see you around, you stay safe out there." Maya waved and they each headed off in different directions.  _Well. That went better than expected._ _Gonna_ _have to talk to Sturges about making some proper explosives like that._

As she and Dogmeat went further down the road, the fortifications and graffiti started becoming more prominent. A turret here, sandbags there, a few walls and lookout points, all punctuated with various phrases ranging from the direct  **< \--- DIAMOND CITY**, and  **TRADERS WELCOME** ,to the somehow mildly ominous **PROTECTED BY THE WALL**  or  **THE WALL PROTECTS US**. 

Maya passed through the last door and into the stadium entrance plaza, which was unfortunately locked down tight. Next to the massive steel door was a woman in red, clearly unhappy with both the situation and whoever was on the other end of the intercom.  _Oh goddammit. You and me both, lady._

"What do you mean you can't open the gate? Stop playing around, Danny! I'm standing out here in the open here for crying out loud!" She argued, gesturing angrily despite the fact that no one could see her.  _Well, except me I guess._

"I got orders not to let you in Ms. Piper. I'm sorry, I'm just doing my job." The voice on the other end crackled. Maya hung back to see how it played out. Hopefully Ms. Piper would be able to convince him to open the gates, cause she'd probably lose her goddamn mind if she'd spent all this time fighting her way to Diamond City only to be locked out because of someone's grudge.

"Oooh! Just doing your job? Diamond City means keeping me out, is that it? 'Oh look, it's the scaaary reporter!' Boo!" Piper snapped sarcastically.

"I'm sorry! But Mayor McDonough's really steamed, Piper, sayin' that article you wrote was all lies. The whole city's in a tizzy." The intercom replied. Piper growled in frustration, hands reaching out like she wanted to strangle the metal speaker.

"Why you... You open this gate right now, Danny Sullivan! I live here, you can't just lock me out!" She shouted. No response from Danny on the other end. Piper signed bitterly, snatching the newsboy cap off her own head and raking her fingers through her hair. Maya half expected her to throw down the cap and stomp on it, and she may well have if she hadn't caught sight of her and Dogmeat. She secured her hat back into place and then turned to Maya in a conspiratorial whisper. "Hey, you. You want into Diamond City, right?" Maya nodded and stepped forward with Piper's gesture to her.

"I really need to get in." She replied. "It's urgent."

"Shh! Play along." Piper whispered, then continued in a louder voice, "What's that? You say you're a trader from Quincy? And you have enough supplies to keep the general store stocked for a month? Wow." She turned back to the intercom. "You hear that, Danny? You gonna open the gate and let us in or are you gonna be the one talking to crazy Myrna about missing out on all this supply?"

"Jeez, alright! No need to make it personal, Piper. Gimme a second." The massive gate rattled and groaned to life, and slowly rose out of their way.

"Better head inside quick before Danny catches onto our bluff." Piper said. 

"After you. Sounds like you've got as much reason as I do to get in quick." Maya said. "C'mon, Dogmeat. So what can you tell me about Diamond City anyway?"

"Oh, the 'green jewel?' Yeah, she's a sight. Everyone who's anyone is from here, settled here, or got kicked out of here. A big wall, some power, working plumbing, schools, and some security goons are what makes Diamond City the big monster it is." She explained with a sharp, bitter chuckle. "Love it or hate it. You'll see for yourself soon enough, though. Let's go." Piper strode forward confidently, only to be stopped by a man in a crisp suit who was as stout and greyed as he was incensed at her return.

"Piper! Who let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut! You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The-! The level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have that printer scrapped for parts!" The man, presumably Mayor McDonough railed.

"Is that a statement, Mr. McDonough? 'Tyrant Mayor Shuts Down the Press?' Why don't we ask our newcomer?" Piper turned to Maya. "Do you support the news? Cause the Mayor here is threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster!"

"I always believed in freedom of the press. Some of my best friends have been journalists, not to mention a few members of the family." Maya responded with a smile, her tone placating even as she openly disagreed with the man.

"Oh, I didn't mean to bring you into this argument, ma'am. No no no. You look like Diamond City material."  _Save me the sales pitch_ _pal_ _, we both know I look like I crawled out of a gutter that hasn't been cleared in 200 years._  If there was one thing she hated more than the military, it was politicians. Still, she smiled and nodded because it wouldn't do to make enemies, especially when she was coming to his city for help. "Welcome to the great green jewel of the Commonwealth. Safe, happy, a fine place to come, spend your money, and even settle down. Don't let this  _muckraker_  here tell you otherwise, alright?"

"Is there any way I can help settle this argument so you two can get on with your day?"  _And_ _so_ _I can get on with mine?_  "How did this all start?" Maya asked.

"How d'you think? Print lies and everybody's happy, but if you print the truth..." Piper grumbled. McDonough cleared his throat loudly and then turned back to Maya with a smile.

"Really, it's nothing you need concern yourself with. Now, was there anything particular you came to our city for, Ms...?" He asked. Maya took the opportunity to curl a little inward on herself, trying to seem vulnerable.

"My name is Maya. Maya Ace. I... I’m just looking for something." She said, and with a little effort her voice cracked just a fraction.  _It's not like I'm faking, it_ _is_ _a touchy subject. Maybe I am laying it on a little thick, but he doesn't exactly seem any kind of forthcoming._

"Oh. What is it you're looking for?" He asked, voice tinged with concern.  _Welp_ _, whatever works I guess._

"My baby boy, Shaun. He's less than a year old. Someone took him and my husband from me. Shaun's all I have left now." Maya's voice cracked for real that time. Piper whipped around at that.

"Wait. Your son's missing?" She turned back to the Mayor, her tone accusing. "You hear that, McDonough? Is Diamond City Security just gonna stand by while a mother searches for her infant son all on her own?" McDonough waved a hand and cut Piper off.

"Don't listen to her. While I am afraid that our security teams can't follow every case that comes through, I'm confident you can find help here." The Mayor assured Maya. "Diamond City has every conceivable service known to man. One of our great citizens can surely find the time to help you."  _Great. More sales pitch._  She gave him her best sad eyes when she looked up at him.

"Please, Mayor McDonough, I'm certain that the leader of such a great city must know everyone in it. Can you at least point me in the right direction?" Maya pleaded gently. He considered for a moment and then relented.

"Well, there is one private citizen, he specializes in tracking people down. Although the cases Detective Valentine usually takes are for debts and whatnot."  _Detective Valentine, huh? Well_ there's  _a name_ _._  "Now, I do have to get going. I'm terribly sorry Diamond City Security doesn't have time to help, but I'm sure Mister Valentine charges a reasonable fee."

Piper threw her hands up in the air indignantly. "This is ridiculous! Diamond City can't spare one officer to help? I want the truth, McDonough! What's the real reason security never investigates any of these kidnappings?" She demanded.

"I've had enough of this, Piper. From now on, consider you and that little sister of yours on notice." The Mayor said. Maya raised her eyebrows. Admittedly she was more surprised that she was actually surprised at a politician threatening a kid. Still, it was a wonder she'd kept her expression mostly neutral, let alone kept herself from clocking the man. Piper seemed unfazed.

"Yeah, keep talking, McDonough. That's all your good for." The reporter said coolly. After he disappeared through the tunnel to the city, she turned to Maya. "I'm impressed, not everyone can claw information out of McDonough's tight-fisted hands." 

Maya shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a charmer."

"You can say that again. Hm. Why don't you stop by my office after you see Valentine? I think I just found my next story." The eager gleam in the woman's eye bordered on predatory and reminded Maya of one of her cousins.  _Libby was all kinds of controversial too, back in the day._  That said, her intent didn't actually seem any kind of malicious and Maya couldn't help but decide that she liked Piper.

"I'll definitely think about it. You have a good one." Maya said and watched her vanish through the same tunnel the mayor had a moment ago. "Okay Dogmeat, let's—Uh. Dogmeat?" She turned around and scanned the area for her dog. "Ah! There you are boy. Did you make a friend?" He had found his way over to a nearby counter and had his paws propped up on the edge across from a guard with reddish hair, who was in turn leaning across to scratch the dog's ears. "You're Sullivan, right?" She asked and leaned on the counter next to Dogmeat.

"So, you're that trader Piper was talking about? Something tells me she's pulled the wool over my eyes again, am I right?" He asked dryly. Maya shrugged helplessly.

"What can I say, she ambushed me. But I do have some supply caravans set up for the Minutemen, I can make sure they add Diamond City to their stops, even if things are still a little tight just yet." Danny looked her over skeptically and seemed to change his mind when he noticed the laser musket slung across her back.

"Huh. No bull? Well if that's the case, I'm gonna have to remember set some caps aside out of my next paycheck, see about getting some new parts for the gate." He gave Dogmeat another scratch and then gently shooed him off the counter. "Anyway, welcome to Diamond City and all that. I gotta get back to work."

Maya nodded and beckoned to Dogmeat, who instead looked up at her expectantly and then refused to budge. 

"What?" She asked the dog. He scooted forward, nosed at her bag, and then sat down again. "What? Oh. Right, I promised you another cake. Can you wait until we actually get inside?" Dogmeat whined. "Oh my god. Okay, okay." Maya fished out another snack cake from the box at top of the bag, now slightly squashed from where she'd crammed the laser rifle in on top of it. "Strawberry this time, how about that—it's already gone. Did you even taste it or were you too busy inhaling it?" She sighed and headed for the tunnel into the stadium. "Let's go buddy." 

Her first impression of Diamond City was... mixed. It was certainly something. Clearly more secure than any of the other places she'd been to and definitely a lot bigger. The buildings crowded into the stadium were still decidedly ramshackle on the outside, but at least they were made of metal and concrete rather than wood riddled with centuries of rot. It was well lit and wooden walkways ran through the field between homes and storefronts, so she wouldn't even have to worry about losing a boot to the mud left by last night's storm. And yet... if it was the nicest place the Commonwealth had to offer and was still yet another shantytown... Maya's heart sank a little.  _It's not like I was expecting something like before, but is this really it? All we could scrape back together?_  The people seemed content though, only a couple of faces looked as fatigued as the people in smaller settlements or out and about with the merchant caravans or the Minutmen. A few kids ran through the streets, and two even had Dogmeat rolling around on the ground in delight at all the belly rubs he was getting. 

On a nearby porch was Piper and a young girl that Maya assumed was her younger sister. The girl stood back from Piper, who was leaned down and examining an old printing press.

"So, kiddo. How are the paper sales?" She heard Piper ask.

"Well the presses are getting overloaded. That motor is going to go soon if we don't replace it." The girl replied.

"Ah, you've been saying that for weeks and the old girl still keeps cranking. Stop worrying so much." Piper pushed herself up from where she'd been crouched and ruffled her sister's hair. "Alright, Nat, I gotta head into the office. You start whistling if you see any angry politicians coming out way."

"Why, is something wrong?" Nat asked. Piper didn't answer and disappeared into the house. "Piper!" She sighed and fixed her hair while glaring at the door, then grabbed a stack of papers from under a tarp and hopped up onto a nearby crate. "Extra, extra! Is your neighbor really human? We have the exclusive!" She called, her voice carrying clearly through noise of the town. Maya had apparently caught her eye and Nat waved her over. "Free paper to newcomers. That way if the Institute grabs you in the night, at least we warned you."  _Oh boy._ _'Your Neighbor's Secretly a Commie' all over again._

"Uh. Thanks."

"Better read up before they grab you too, vaultie." Nat warned in the tone of a kid telling ghost stories at a slumber party.

"Who's gone missing?" Maya rolled up the paper and tucked it under her arm for later. Even despite her skepticism, she couldn't help but wonder...  _This couldn't be related to Shaun, could it?_  

"Drifters, residents, stadium seat snobs, all sorts. Seems every year or so someone's gone, and we all know why." Nat said, still using her paper selling voice. "So you better be careful, vaultie. Institute's out there and they'll grab you too. Like I said, it's all in the paper."  _Jesus. That detective must be swamped, then._

"I'll, uh. Keep an eye out then. Thanks." Maya said and whistled for Dogmeat to follow her while she pressed further into the city.

Shops ringed a large food stand with a flickering neon sign that said 'Power Noodles' in the middle of town and all around she could hear different vendors hawking their wares. She was trying to get a better look at the securitron behind the counter wearing some kind of chef's hat when she overheard an argument from the nearby barbershop. An older woman in an old mechanic's jumpsuit leaned up against a wall and gestured with her lit cigarette while she talked.

"If anyone is one of those... things, it's that secretary of his. Her and her perfect hair." She said. A man slightly further into the shop sharpening a pair of scissors scoffed.

"The mayor's secretary? Come on, ma. I cut her hair myself and I know human hair."

"That's just it, Johnny. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference." Johnny's mother argued. She took a drag off her cigarette and continued. "If you nicked McDonough with your razor, he'd bleed. Don't mean nothin'." She pointed at Maya. "You there, talk some sense into my nitwit son. McDonough's secretary. Is she a synth?"  _Can people please stop dragging me into synth conversations, I just got here_ _. I'd barely_ _know_ _one_ _from a damn hole in the ground._

"Uh. I honestly have no clue." Maya shrugged.

"You don't know? What, born without a brain between your ears?" The old woman snapped. Maya opened her mouth to argue before Johnny stepped in.

"Hey! You  _just_  said no one could tell the difference, ma. She don't know if Geneva's a synth and neither do you, so could you lay off and quit scaring off my potential customers?"

"Don't you talk to your mother that way, Johnny!" She stubbed out her cigarette and flicked it off into a nearby mud puddle before heading off to the noodle stand. Johnny waited for his mother to be out of sight before he addressed Maya.

"Sorry about that, ma takes a little getting used to. Now, can I interest you in a haircut? 15 caps to work with whatever's going on under that hat of yours. You name it, shaves, long cuts, short cuts, undercuts, braids, layering. It'd be easier to show you. I've got a free chair right here." He dusted off the old office chair in front of him. Maya thought back to the mess she looked in the reflection off her pip-boy and then back in the barbershop at 81 and was sorely tempted.

"Another time, definitely. But right now I'm looking for Detective Valentine. Could you point me in the right direction?" She asked. The barber nodded sympathetically, clearly familiar with the detective's usual clientele.

"Just up ahead, then take a left at Moe's swatters and then the alley around that corner. Can't miss the sign from there." He pointed just past the line of shops. "Best of luck to you ma'am." Maya thanked him and then she and Dogmeat headed off in the direction he'd indicated. A helpful sign that read "Detective" pointed the way down a dark alley. 

About halfway down, she was reminded of Mama Murphy's vision.  _You'll find the heart that's_ _gonna_ _lead you to your boy. It's bright, so bright against the dark alleys it walks._  A bright neon sign flickered in the dim half-light, emblazoned with the words "Valentine Detective Agency" and a massive heart with an arrow through it, bathing the alley in pink light. People shuffled past her while she stared long enough for her eyes to hurt. Dogmeat nosed at her hand while she blinked away the afterimage and stepped forward. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly so scared as she stood before the door to the agency. Maybe because asking for help finally made things real.  _It was already real,_ _Acerbi_ _._ _Just go in._ She steeled herself, took a deep breath, and opened the door. 

Inside, the agency was fairly dim and dust hung in the air. One desk sat just across from the door and another was tucked into a back corner. Around the edges of the room were old filing cabinets and on almost every available surface were carboard boxes, all packed tight with files. On the far end of the small room was a young woman in pink, poring over one such box and talking quietly to herself, or possibly its contents. She hadn't seemed to notice Maya walk in.

"Told you your luck wouldn't last forever... The bills. Ugh, forget the bills." Maya cleared her throat. The woman paused, then sighed and set the box back down. "Another stray coming in from the rain. Afraid you're too late. Office is closed." She said.

"I take it you're not the detective?" Maya asked, although it was more a statement than a question.

"Me? No, I'm Ellie, his secretary. Handle his appointments, his papers, that sort of thing." Ellie explained. Her shoulders sagged. "Well, that's what I used to do anyway. But now he's disappeared and I can't keep a detective agency going without a detective." The other part of Mama Murphy's vision bubbled up in the back of Maya's head.  _It'll send you to find a man. Goddammit, of course he's not here._

"Do you have any idea how I could find him? I really need his help." Maya pressed.

"He disappeared working a case. Skinny Malone's gang had kidnapped a young woman and he tracked them down to their hideout in Park Street Station. There's an old vault down there they use as a base." Ellie dropped down into a nearby chair and Dogmeat walked over to lay his head in her lap. "I told him he was walking into a trap, but he just smiled and walked out the door like he always does."

"What can you tell me about Malone? I wanna know what I'm walking into here." Maya asked, already marking the spot on her pip-boy map.  _I remember the way but can't hurt to have something to keep me on track if I have to take any 'shortcuts_ _.'_

"What you're... You're going after him?" Ellie's head snapped up from where she'd been petting Dogmeat.

"Like I said, I really need his help. I will find him, I promise." She explained, not wanting to consider how it may be a matter of life and death. 

"Right. Thank you so much. I don't know much about Skinny Malone, but he's from Goodneighbor and that means he's in the 'well-pressed suits and machine guns' school of thuggery. But the detective should be easy to spot. He's always wearing that old hat and trenchcoat getup. Please hurry." Ellie said. Maya stopped to consider for a moment.

"Can I leave some of my things here with you until I get back? It'll help me move quicker. Just the big bag and Dogmeat here." She asked and Ellie nodded. She dropped the larger pack next to one of the desks, leaving the heavier supplies and salvage she'd picked up, as well as the laser rifle from Danse, then bent back over to dig her bigger first aid kit out and tuck it into her smaller bag. She scratched the dog behind his ears and knelt down next to him. "You keep an eye on our stuff, buddy. And be good company for miss Ellie here, okay?" Dogmeat boofed an affirmation and trotted back up to Ellie. "And don't get into the snack cakes while I'm gone." He whined at that. "I mean it. You'll get one when I come back. And I will come back." The last statement was directed at the secretary who managed a weak but hopeful smile in return as she headed out the door.

Maya re-checked her supplies as she headed back down the alley.  _10mm pistol, laser musket, sawed off, and claw bat. I should give that thing a proper name, it deserves one._   _Full_ _ammo belt, all 10mm and fusion cells._ _Shotgun shells in the bag._ _Should be plenty if I keep it quiet. 15_ _stimpaks_ _, bottle of rad-x, 2 packs of rad-away, plus food and water. Don't think I'll need those last two._ _Hm. I've got a_ _sheath_ _for a knife, maybe I should look for something in town. Grandad always said always have one on hand._

She was pulled from her internal checklist by a commotion back in the middle of town. People were bunched together and she could hear shouting on the other side of the crowd. Maya strained to see what was happening, but despite the fact that people tended to grow shorter these days, she was still the shortest there, besides the kids peering through the legs of the crowd. After a little more maneuvering, she found a decent spot at the end of the noodle counter.

It was a showdown, from what she could tell. Or less a showdown and more a stickup. One man pointed a gun at another, who had his hands up and was trying to talk the gunman down. Several security guards were trying to muscle through the crowd on the opposite side of the plaza to no avail.

"Kyle, I'm your brother! Put the gun down!"

"Don't move,  _synth_! What have you done with the real Riley? Where the hell's my brother?" The gunman demanded.

"I swear, I'm not a synth! Don't shoot! For god sakes, we're family!" Riley begged. One of the security guards finally broke through the fray, his own gun at the ready.

"Put the gun down, Kyle! Now!" The guard ordered. The gunman didn't take his eyes off his brother and shuffled closer while he shouted and waved his gun.

"He's a synth! He'll kill us all! He'll--"

With a crack of gunfire, half the crowd dropped in fear and Kyle's head split apart. Maya clapped a hand over her mouth as Riley dropped to his knees and scrambled over to where his brother had hit the ground.  _Jesus Christ..._  

"Alright, show's over! There are no synths in Diamond City, hear me? Just you people and your goddamn paranoia!" The guard shouted over the resulting commotion, weapon still in hand. Maya slid down off the counter and a few other people dispersed, but a few crowded further in on Riley who was being pulled off of his brother by two other guards. "What's everyone still standing around for, go back to your own damn business!" She could have sworn she heard the sound of a gun being cocked before the rest of the crowd hurried away.

Maya jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she whirled around to face whoever it was that had snuck up on her.

"Hell of a thing, ain't it. Guy pulls a gun on his own brother thinking he's a synth only to get gunned down himself. Crazy times, eh General?" One of the newer Minutemen, Stephen McKay, had apparently gotten to the city before her, which wasn't all that much of a surprise considering the detours she'd taken. "Much as I like that Ms. Wright, her newspaper ain't helping things like it could be. Instead she's got folks all riled up and thinking their own family are machines." He said.

"Yeah..." Maya swallowed against the taste of bile in the back of her throat. "Crazy times." She let Stephen lead her away from the mess being covered up with a tarp by security. "So what are you doing here?"

"Me? Quick resupply after running down to deal with some bots going haywire on a farm down south. I'm a little surprised I'm seeing you here today, actually. Thought you'd have passed on through by now. You get caught up on your way down from Sanctuary?" He said while looking over Moe's Swatter selection. Maya gave them a cursory glance, but she already knew what she had was better.  _The Sturges Special? No, that sounds like a euphemism._

"You could say that. Couple farms, a distress signal, and then I holed up for the night after it started raining." She explained. "I'm off on another run, too. I was just gonna see if someone had a knife that'll fit in my belt here."

"You'll wanna talk to Arturo over there, then. Or maybe Myrna, although after this whole fiasco, expect to get grilled." Stephen said and looked her over. "Nice hat, by the way. You're traveling a little lighter than I remember."

"Yeah, I just need to get in and out quick for this next job is all." She told him.

"Then definitely talk to Myrna. She's... jumpy, but she's got a big sale on stealth-boys going right now. 30 caps a pop." He set down one of the bats after giving it a couple test swings. "Y'know, if you want I can go with you, General."

"Thanks for the tip, McKay. I think I've got this one myself, but I did clear out a place not far from here about an hour ago. It'd make a good defensible settlement, even if it is a little small." Maya started fiddling with her pip-boy to show him. "Up the road, near a bridge over the river. If you can, get a couple of the others to help you set up a beacon and clear out the bodies. Some are fresh, the rest are... a lot less so."

"Hold up. You cleared Hangman's by yourself?" He asked before she could show him the spot on her map. "Damn, General. Preston sure as hell picked the right woman. I think Miles is still around here somewhere, I'll find her and we'll get right on that. Best of luck to you, ma'am!" He snapped off a rough salute and she returned the gesture. She almost gestured for Dogmeat to follow before she remembered that she left him behind with Ellie at the agency. Instead, she hiked her bag up a little more securely on her shoulder and then headed over to Myrna's general store.

Jumpy had been the kindest word Stephen could have used for the woman. She really did seem paranoid, switching between scanning the article in her hand and scrutinizing Maya's face, comparing the two like they were somehow related and only she could figure out how. After interrogating Maya for several minutes as to whether or not she was absolutely certain she was human, she finally let Maya close enough to browse. Admittedly after all that had just happened, it's not like she could blame the woman, but her nerves were already wearing thin and indulging her took more time than Maya felt she had. She did manage to find a knife in good condition that was the right size, which immediately went into the sheath on her hip. She went a little overboard on the stealth boys and altogether ended up spending about 200 caps that she hadn't planned on.  _Hope I still have enough to pay the detective._

Maya pushed her way back through the crowded marketplace and up the ramp back out of the city. She shot another glance back at the scene behind her. Riley was being guided away and the body was carried off in the opposite direction.  _God, crazy times is right._  

Back outside the city, the entry plaza was quiet. She hung a left and followed an alley down the stadium's south wall. The afternoon sun was already sinking low in the west, casting long shadows before her as she headed east. The skeletal remains of distant skyscrapers loomed over the horizon and she wondered how many supermutants could hide in just one of them. A security guard nodded to her as she left the boundaries of his patrol and she waved back as she readied her pistol. Like before, she stayed low in the shadows as best as she could, glancing up at broken windows and crumbling walls to check for threats before she dashed across the street and up a flight of stairs to another crossroad. Off to her right, the sounds of yet another gunfight echoed off the ruined buildings. Maya peeked around the corner to see how close it was but saw no sign of it nearby.  _Good thing I'm not going that way anyways._  

Instead she took a left and headed north up the street, then hung a right next to the old public library and clambered her way over a small hill of dirt and debris. From there it was almost a straight shot east, but she still clung to the low shadows under the edges of the massive buildings. It was quiet. Disconcertingly quiet, because the further into the Boston ruins she went, the more signs of supermutant life she saw. Even more nerve-wracking was the fact that despite the number of meat bags and rusted iron spike piles she passed, she hadn't seen even one of the damn things.  _That should be comforting. Why the fuck is that not comforting?_  Maya jumped at the sound of her pip-boy picking up another signal.  _Trinity Tower Radio signal found._  She frowned at the distraction and then turned the volume down another click. After that, she darted down another dark alley on her left and then zig-zagged down the stairs between buildings out into the Boston Common. Just on the other side of the park was the opening to Park Street Station, and beyond that was vault 114 and hopefully Detective Valentine.

Unlike most of the barriers she'd run across, the wrought-iron fence ringing the park was still frustratingly intact. She briefly considered hopping the fence, but she didn't trust her coat not to catch on it nor her knees not to give out from under her when she hit the ground. Instead she stepped over the fallen chain that someone had used to replace the park gate and jogged across. About halfway through, she stopped and looked back.  _Why would someone try to chain the park off?_  And then she noticed the warning signs; literal warning signs scattered around the park. 

**Stay Back!**

**Run away!**

**Danger!**

**Turn back!**

**Swan!**

And then the pond at the center of the park erupted with a blood-chilling roar.

" _SWAANNNNNNNNNN!!!"_ It was a supermutant, only it was easily three stories tall, with old swan paddle boats strapped to itself as armor and an anchor in one hand wielded like a war axe. Its head swiveled around and it focused beady, blood red eyes on her.

Maya screamed. And then she ran. She stumbled over cracks in the sidewalk and squeezed between a pair of trees, trying to make the straightest shot to the station that she could. Swan waded out of the pond and was hot on her heels, bellowing at the top of its lungs. She didn't dare look back, not for a second, not on her life. She stuck an arm out and caught the edge of an old mailbox, using it to swing herself back around into the turn she needed to make to get into the subway and out of reach. She prayed to whatever passed for a higher power these days that the mutant behind her wouldn't be nearly so nimble.

The thing may not have been as nimble, but it was easily as fast. With another guttural roar the anchor came down, missing her by a fraction of an inch, and the impact sent her pitching sideways down the ramp to the station. Maya came to a stop partway down and scrambled forward, trying desperately to get out of reach. It roared at her again, and she made the mistake of looking back.

A massive green hand reached in after her, groping at nothing until one massive finger caught her by her ammo belt and the sling holding the laser musket to her back. She scrabbled helplessly at the concrete and in a split second of clarity, seized the hunting knife from its sheath on her hip. The creature dragged her back slowly, as if it was toying with her, but that was its mistake; she sawed frantically through the leather, still screaming at the top of her lungs, and finally broke free from Swan's grasp. 

Maya didn't waste another second and flung herself forward, through the door, and down the stairs into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, regardless of your feelings on Fallout 76, if you're happy to see a new chapter then it can't be all bad, right? I wasn't sure I was gonna get back to this, special shoutouts to Kiana, Kristen, and Theta for helping me get my head out of my own ass and back into the swing of things!
> 
> Unfortunately I am wildly undisciplined and a slave to my ocs whims (Maya has like 30 aus on the side and it is nuts), so we're probably gonna be sticking to the 'update every six months or so' schedule. Sorry.
> 
> Also, that last bit there with Swan is very much based on my own experience in game with Maya's save.  
> "I'm just gonna get this marked on my map and---"  
> "SWANNNNN"  
> "NOPE."


	6. Do I Know You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp Doomsday Tip: When bullets aren't your best option, there's always diplomacy.

Maya tried like hell to get her breathing under control. She wasn't built for running and she sure as hell wasn't built for fighting whatever the fuck that thing was back there. A choked sob managed to force its way out as she slid down a nearby wall, and she clamped a trembling hand back over her mouth.  _I almost just died._   _Christ_ _, I thought the regular mutants were big._ _What the fuck. What. The fuck._ _Breathe in_ _, hold,_ _breathe out_ _. In_ _, hold,_ _out_ _._ _You're_ _good_ _,_ _Acerbi_ _._ _You're_ _not_ _gonna_ _cry._ _Breathe in, hold, breathe out._ _You're_ _good._ _Good enough_ _, anyways_ _._  It was all she could do to keep from losing her shit altogether and it was a good thing she maintained what was left of her composure.

"I'm telling ya, joining Skinny Malone's crew was the best decision we've ever made. Look at this place!" A harsh voice bounced off the tile and concrete walls, coming from the room just ahead.

"I still say Malone's weak. We caught that detective snooping around and what does he do? Locks him up, like he ain't got the balls to just kill him." Another man said.  _Lovely._  But Valentine was alive. That was good. The next room was brightly lit and there were at least two guys there that she had to get by. Needless to say, that was bad.

"Well don't let his new girl hear that. She'll start swinging that bat of hers at your face until there ain't no face left." The first guy warned his buddy. Ellie had said that the detective had come here looking for a missing girl.  _Oh boy. I think I see what happened there._  Her thoughts and their conversation were interrupted by a crash and a deafening roar.  _Aw, fuck._

"Shit! Swan's trying to get in again! Donnie, get the boys! Joey, with me!" A ghoul in a suit ran past her, machine gun in hand, followed closely by another man outfitted in the same fashion. Maya ducked into the next room and put two bullets in Donnie's back before he disappeared into the hallway to bring backup, bile rising in her throat when he dropped. She watched the door she'd come through, hoping the noise from the giant super mutant would be enough to cover that of her gun. 

It wasn't. 

Both men had heard the shots and charged back into the room, guns at the ready. She didn't hesitate, she couldn't afford to. Three shots, center mass, and Joey dropped too. The ghoul fired at her as he tripped over the other man's body, sending a spray of bullets across the wall she had pressed herself against. Two ricocheted off the lucky chest plate, one pinging harmlessly away and the other grazing her cheek. Another tore through her shoulder, throwing off her aim as she returned fire. Instead of a clean shot through the heart, he took one through the lung and one through the neck. He collapsed as Maya clutched her shoulder, trying hard not to look at how much blood ran out from under her fingers.  _Too much lower and that would have gone through the joint. Asshole could have taken my arm off, Jesus fuck this hurts._  She tried to keep her gun steady as she approached the ghoul where he wheezed and choked on the floor. It hadn't been a clean shot by any means, and it wasn't one he was going to survive. Blood bubbled from his chest and erupted from his mouth and nose as he coughed.  _Sucking chest wound. Bad way to go._  She leveled the gun with his head, took a deep breath to steel herself, and fired. The corn soup she'd had back in Vault 81 had decided it had spent enough time in her stomach and found itself on the floor next to the still-warm body instead.

Maya forced herself to look away from the mess that she'd made and went digging through the top of her bag for her first aid kit. Her shoulder wound was shallow enough that she didn't like pulling out a stimpak for it, but deep enough she couldn't leave it alone and she didn't really have the time to clean it up the old-fashioned way. Despite her frustration (that admittedly wasn't even close to the forefront of her mind, all things considered), she couldn’t deny the relief, both physical and emotional, when the needle pricked her skin and the wound started closing. She grabbed a rag on a nearby table and did her best to clean up the worst of her blood from the trench coat and rolled her shoulder experimentally to see if the stim was done doing its thing. Once she was sure she had healed up completely, she popped the magazine on her pistol to see how much ammo she had left after needing to cut and run outside.  _3 bullets, and one in the chamber. Fuck. At least there's the bat_ _, the knife,_ _and the sawed-off._ She did her best not to picture the mess that each of those would make.

The hall ahead was darker, as well as the stairs down into the subway tunnel. The lights in the old subway tunnel were bright but sparse, leaving several ways for Maya to sneak through deeply cast shadows and past the dozen or so men patrolling the area. A triggerman walked past where she'd backed herself into a dark corner without so much as a second glance and she breathed the tiniest sigh of relief before darting to the next shadow. Maya was glad she'd listened to Mama Murphy's advice a week before and coated the chestplate in some old blue-grey paint to cut reflection and blend in with concrete of the Boston ruins a little better.  _Good foresight. Or maybe Foresight._  Preston would probably insist on adding the Minutemen logo to it when she got back to Sanctuary and she didn't think she'd be inclined to argue.  _If I get back to Sanctuary. No. Nope. Not_ _gonna_ _think like that._ _Gotta_ _focus on something else._  She kept moving through the darkness around the edges of the room, pushing the thoughts of another bullet or twelve ripping through something a lot more important than her shoulder. Her heart hammered in her chest when the vault door came into sight.  _If that many were posted outside, how many are in there? No. Focus,_ _Acerbi_ _. You're_ _gonna_ _find Shaun, we just_ _gotta_ _get through this step first. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. Task at hand. Focus on the next step._

_Valentine_. The name had to be an accident, right? Or maybe it wasn't and he was a ghoul these days? Mama Murphy said the man wasn’t what she’d be expecting, but that implied Maya even knew what she was expecting in the first place. 

“Aw hell. Not like sitting here’s gonna help,” she muttered and crept closer to the vault entrance. The platform was too well lit for her liking and an old place like this wasn’t gonna be quiet when she cracked it open.  _God knows 111 and 81 weren’t_. At least this time she was prepared for the noise when she hit the button and ducked into cover. Even with her ears covered, the screech of metal on metal was deafening. She almost didn’t hear the guard inside calling out. 

“Hey, who opened the door? Why’s that thing gotta be so loud?” Maya didn’t wait to hear more before she popped the first stealth boy and sprinted across the platform to the back of the room. “Who’s there?” He whirled around to not quite where she was pressed back into a dark corner, too close for her to move without tipping him off. The bat and the knife would make way too much mess, same with the shotgun which was also gonna be too loud, Swan had taken the laser musket and half her energy ammo, the other half and the Brotherhood rifle was back at the agency with Dogmeat, and those last four 10 mm bullets were all she had. In a split-second decision that was more reaction than choice, she cracked the pistol across the side of his head and he went down like a ton of bricks, motionless but still breathing.  _Good. Last thing_ _I_ _need_ _is_ _to lose_ _my_ _lunch over killing a guy. Again._

Maya that if this Skinny Malone guy favored himself as any kind of mobster type, he would have set himself up in an “important” place in the vault, probably the overseer’s office. Might be a note or something on where he was keeping Valentine. Unfortunately the layout of 114 wasn’t quite enough like 81 or 111 for her to navigate as quickly as she’d have liked. On the one hand, there were lots of helpful little signs in the halls. On the other hand, there were just as many guards as there were signs.  _Christ, how many goons does one guy need?_  The stealth boy was a damn godsend, keeping her out of sight for a number of close calls before giving out sooner than expected. After that, Maya had to knock two more heads to keep from having an alarm raised. That was the easy part; dragging the unconscious mobsters somewhere they wouldn’t be spotted was considerably less so.

After tucking away the last man, she finally made it to the atrium. According to the signs, the flight of stairs just up ahead led Overseer’s office and hopefully something on how to find – 

“How you doing in there, Valentine?” a man jeered at the office window.  _Well, that saves me a step._  “Feeling hungry? Want a snack?” Maya crept up the stairs to try and get a better look and maybe even find a decent spot to get the drop on the guy while he talked.

“Keep talking, meat head. It’ll give Skinny Malone more time to think of how to bump you off.” Valentine replied, sounding more annoyed than scared.  _The voice_ _i_ _s… close? No,_ _I'm overthinking it._

“Don’t give me that crap, Valentine! You know nothin, you got nothin!” the goon snapped.

“Really? I saw him writing your name in that black book of his. ‘Lousy cheating card shark’ I think were his exact words.” The detective was lying, he was too calm for a guy in his situation.  _Wait, black book? Black book, black book, why does that sound important?_  “Then he struck the name across three times.” Even where Maya was standing she could see the man visibly blanch. 

“Three times? In the black book? But I never… Oh no… I- I gotta smooth this over fast!” he said and rushed to the stairs. Maya pistol whipped him hard from behind as he hurried past where she’d tucked herself in a corner. She cringed when he tumbled down the stairs, but at least he was likely to stay down.  _Concussion City, population: that guy._  

“Hey you! I don’t know who you are, but I figure we got 3 minutes before they realize muscles-for-brains isn’t coming back. Get this door open!” She didn’t know Vault-Tec systems well enough to try any workarounds in what little time she had. Maya hazarded a guess.  _Overseer114._  The terminal chimed and she stared at the screen for a moment.  _Are you fucking kidding me._ She turned as the door slid open with a soft hiss.

Mama Murphy was right, he wasn’t what she was expecting. A synth, one of the early models like she’d fought a few days ago, wearing a trench coat and fedora as battered as he was, lighting up a cigarette, and eyeing her skeptically from under the edge of his hat.

“Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel in distress scenario. Question is, why did our heroine risk life and limb for an old private eye?” he asked.

“You’re a synth?”  _Shit, that was out loud._

“I see you’re also a detective. Nothing gets past you, does it?” he replied sharper than he had probably intended. 

“You’re right, I am! I guess I don’t need help after all. I’ll just close this back up and be on my merry way, sorry for bothering you!” Maya said in a saccharine voice laced with cyanide. The detective held his hands up in an attempt to calm her.

“Easy, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I’ve been in here for weeks after getting knocked on the head by the missing girl I came to find. Turns out she ran away and now she’s Malone’s new flame. Anyway, most folks know what to expect if they come looking for me. So why did you?” he asked. Maya hesitated. She’d come all this way and it’s not like it was a good time to start being distrustful, but ‘guarded’ had become her default setting after…  _Actually, no that’s just me, period_.

“I’m looking for the man that shot my husband and stole my son. I don’t have much to go on, but I hear you’re the best to come to.” She explained tightly.

“Hm. I don’t usually go in for blood money, but I’m-“ Valentine started.

“It’s not like that. I don’t want blood, I just want my son back.” Maya interrupted.  _More blood is the last thing I want, even from him._  ... _Right?_  Valentine regarded her for a moment and nodded, his synthetic face frustratingly hard to read.

“Alright, well regardless, now’s not really the time. We need to get out of here. Come on. There’ll be time to talk later,” he said and headed for the stairs. Maya jogged after him, only half listening while he talked about Skinny Malone’s gang. How they used to be small players back in the day, the way they got muscled out of their old territory and found 114, and how they’ve been getting bigger and meaner since then. “Hold up.” He held a hand out as they approached a group of triggermen. “I’ll follow your lead. How do you wanna play this?”

“Why am I taking point?”  _Why the hell do these strange men keep putting me in charge?_

“Well I assumed since you got this far you had a plan to get back,” he whispered back.

“You know, I was thinking we just walk out, maybe ask real nice for them to let us go.” Maya hissed, despite the fact that,  _okay yeah, that is a fair point._

“Great. Loud and hard it is, then.” Valentine said, rising from where they were crouched with his revolver drawn. She grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Put that away! I was being facetious! Now take these, stay close, and hope they last long enough we don’t get shot.”  _I've had my fill of that today._ Maya pulled him back and pushed the two stealth boys into his hands. “Don’t give me that look, I crack wise when I’m stressed. Now let’s go.” 

His gaze lingered for a few seconds, brow furrowed like he was trying to figure something out, then he nodded and looped a finger through one of her belts. She jumped a little at the unexpected contact.

“I don’t want to get separated and it’s not like I’ll be able to see you,” he explained. “Trust me, I’m not trying to get handsy.”

“Right. Just a little jumpy. Stealth boys on three.” Her thumb hovered over the button as she glanced back at the detective, who was doing the same. “One, two,” and they melted from sight.

The way out was longer than the way in, but clearer for the most part and not as well lit. Maya and Valentine bumped into each other more than once in flattening themselves against a wall or shuffling behind a crate to let a guard by. Not as often as they might have, given that they couldn't see the other or even themselves for that matter. 

However that stopped being a problem sooner than expected just outside the guard barracks. She and Valentine had opted to go around rather than through and it proved to be a mistake. The stealth fields around them flickered and died right as they were walking through the brightest part of the hallway.

“Well. Shit. That’s the last time I buy discount stealth boys.” Maya said.  _Well it’d been a good plan in theory._  In practice they were backed in a corner with 5 guys pointing guns at them and no way to get around.  _Keep talking,_ _Acerbi_ _, lying's your best skill._  “If I ever see that guy again, I’m kicking his ass from one end of the ‘Wealth to the other.” She sounded awfully calm for a woman about to be swiss cheese and even managed to keep her hands from shaking as she stood back up and raised them a little, half gesture of surrender, half attempt to calm them.

“Afraid that ain’t gonna happen, lady. You and the scrap heap here are going back in that room for the boss to deal with. Ask me real nice though, sweetheart. I might consider lookin’ him up for you.” Maya ignored the way the goon dragged his eyes across her, if only to suppress the urge to drive her thumbs into them.

“No, unlike your boss I prefer to do my own dirty work. He does pay you well, right?” Maya asked, sounding leagues more confident than she felt, but ready to act on probably the stupidest idea she’d had in… well, days, but that wasn’t the point. “Because I get the feeling you boys don’t get paid enough.” The men shifted nervously, the one just to her left in particular, holding a 10 mm pistol much like her own.

“The hell are you talking ab-“

Four gunshots rang through the halls. Maya’s gun was out before anyone could react, then back in its holster as four machine guns clattered to the ground.

“Shoot the bitch, Tony!” the first goon shouted at the kid on her left.  _Jesus wine-pissing Christ I_ _hate_ _that word._ Lucky for him she was out of ammo or he’d have a bullet in place of a toe.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Maya said smoothly to the men reaching for the weapons they’d dropped. She kept her hand hovering above her pistol. “Keep in mind that heads are easier to shoot than hands. Now, I’ll ask again. Do you get paid enough for this?” The men straightened up, two of them holding their hands where she’d grazed them. Nobody moved to attack them. “No? Well then, here’s what happened. Tony? Tony. Tony here got spooked, you four startled him, got shot, and me and the detective here must have slipped past you while you were all yelling at him. Yeah?” 

“Uh, y-yeah. Sorry guys. Jumping at shadows.” Tony said and stepped aside. Maya strode by confidently, secretly thanking whatever merciful god helped her pull that off, and taking a moment to knock on her lucky chestplate. Valentine followed close behind, the two of them catching snatches of the goons’ fading conversation about “what if Skinny finds out” and “yeah he’ll bump us off” and “he won’t find out and that bitch is more likely to off us anyway.”  _Gotta_ _say, it's nice being the one to rattle someone else's cage for once._

“That was a hell of a thing you just pulled off there. Most folks would have just shot em.” Valentine said. 

“What can I say? I'm not most folks.” Maya replied. _Cause_ _most_ _folks_ _wouldn’t have had a meltdown, doubled over, and yakked afterwards either._

“Clearly. Might be better that you didn’t, though. Skinny Malone and the rest of his boys will be waiting around here somewhere, I’m sure. The name’s, ah, ironic, but don’t let that fool you. The man’s dangerous.” he explained, picking the lock on the door to the way out.

“Ooh, I find that hard to believe, cause y'know I’m a real delicate flower myself.” Maya said sharply then silently cursed herself; that sort of thing didn’t normally bug her given that she was perfectly happy being five-foot-nothing and two hundred pounds of pure sarcasm. He glanced back at her for a moment almost sheepishly.

“Right, sorry. Point being, I hear a lot of commotion on the other side of this door, so be ready for anything. Unless you think you can make that trick work twice?” he asked. She shook her head, then tilted it thoughtfully.

“Well maybe not that exact one, but I am pretty good at talking my way out of a situation.”  _Lucky plate don't fail me now._  “Shall we?” Valentine nodded and offered the universal 'after you,' gesture.

When the door slid open they found themselves facing three angry triggermen, Skinny Malone, and the “missing” girl. 

“Nicky! What are you doin’? You come into my house, shoot up my guys, you have any idea how much this is gonna set me back?” Malone demanded. Maya had never liked mobster types back in the day. The kind of smug bastards that thought they were untouchable because they had everyone else doing their dirty work. Too damn slippery to keep behind bars.  _I don't think I’d feel bad shooting_ this _guy._

“I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for that two-timing dame of yours. You should tell her to write home more often.” The detective explained. 

“Aww, poor little Valentine, ashamed you got beat up by a girl? I guess I’ll just run back home to daddy, shall I?” The girl said. She was young, a good deal younger than Maya even without the extra centuries, and her voice was grating on Maya’s already shot nerves. 

“Should’ve left it alone Nicky, this ain’t the old neighborhood. In this vault, I’m the king of the castle, you hear me?” Malone railed. Then the name clicked. _Nicky?_ _Nick._ _Fuck, it really is him, isn’t it?_ “And I ain’t letting some private dick shut me down now that I got a good thing going here!”

“I told you we should have just killed him! But then you had to get all sentimental. All that stupid crap about ‘old times’.” That girl had a mean little mouth on her, and anyone would get sick of it eventually. And then Maya remembered Mama Murphy’s advice about the angry woman and the black book.  _A crack between her and her lover._

 “Darla, I’m handling this! Skinny Malone’s always got things under control.” He snapped back.

“Oh yeah? Then what’s this lady doing here? Valentine must have brought her here to rub us all out!” Darla hissed.  _And that’s my cue._

“It’s not me you should be worrying about Darla, and I think you know that. Who’s to say you don’t run your mouth at the wrong time and end up in that black book of his? If you don't get out quick then one way or another you’re gonna be stuck with these goons for the rest of your life. Is that really what you want?” Maya asked. Darla glared at her, then faltered and lowered the bat in her hands.

“I… I… Oh god, you’re right! I gotta get home!” she said with wide eyes and trembling voice.

“What? Darla, I would never!” Skinny Malone protested.

“You said that about Johnny, too! And where is he now? No Skinny, I’m going home. This is goodbye for us.” Skinny watched her walk away, speechless. He found his voice again by the time he rounded on Nick and Maya. 

“Oh come on Nicky! You cost me my men and your little friend here costs me my girl?”

“My friend here just did you a favor. You always did have bad taste in women. Now that you don’t have her feeding that temper of yours, maybe you’ll see sense and let us walk. You still owe me for two weeks in the hole.”

“Why you smug, overconfident ass!” Skinny leveled the gun at Valentine, but then lowered it with a snarl. "Alright, you get to the count of ten! I still see your faces, I’m gunning you down! One!”  _Okay, time to book it._

“We better get outta here, fast.” Nick said and headed for the exit almost too fast for her to keep up. She followed him through a shortcut out and once they were free and clear, supported herself against the nearest wall. 

Her heart was hammering in her chest, faster than it should have been even after all that had just happened.  _Oh goddammit not right now. Shit. Shit_ _shit_ _shit_ _._  “Look at that Commonwealth sky. Never thought anything so naturally ominous could look so inviting. Thanks for getting me out of there. How… hey, are you okay?” Nick asked, tone suddenly soft.

Maya was not. She had slumped up against the wall and was hyperventilating, one arm wrapped tightly around her stomach, fingers digging into her side, the other hand fisted in her dirty hair. Tears cut a track through the dirt on her cheeks and her eyes looked half wild while they focused on where she’d dropped her hat and sunglasses. She slid down the wall and sat on the freezing concrete while he kneeled next to her. The panic attack that'd been creeping up on her for two weeks had finally hit her in full force and she felt like she was dying. He reached out a hand to comfort her and pulled back like he’d been burned when she shrank away.

“Sorry. I know the skin and metal bits aren’t exactly comforting.” Maya hadn’t even noticed it was the metal one until he had stuffed it back in his pocket.

“Not. Just you. Nobody. Can.” She managed between hiccuping gasps and pulled her knees up to her chest.

“So this happens a lot.” Nick said. “Or enough to know, anyway.” Maya nodded hard enough she could almost hear her brain rattle in her head. She turned enough to press her cheek against the cold wall then took deep shuddering breath. At least she was coming down faster than expected. The whole thing hadn’t passed properly but she was too exposed for that sort of luxury, both to hostiles and a detective she had some questions for. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Ten mil ammo? ‘M fresh out.” she asked, still shaky but quickly regaining control. 

“No, I can’t say I do. Wait. Completely out?” Maya nodded.  _Here it comes._  “As in that little stunt used them all up?”

“Listen, it's not my fault I literally had to cut and run cause that giant goddamn super mutant had me by the ammo belt. And anyway, it worked, didn’t it?” Maya asked sharply. Yeah, she was feeling better now, if a little bit completely exhausted. She'd definitely be getting a room at the Dugout after she talked to the detective.  _Detective Nick goddamn Valentine. If there’s a Greater Power it has a sick fucking sense of humor._

“It did, but if it hadn’t?” he asked. 

“What does it matter? It worked.” Maya collected her things and dragged the bat out of her pack. 

“And if it hadn’t?” he repeated more pointedly.

“We’d be casting much smaller shadows.” Nick stared at her like she’d grown a second head, although maybe that wasn’t so weird these days. She continued, “because of the bullet holes-“

“Yes, thank you. I got that.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “So how did you find me anyway? Not many people knew where I went.”

“Your assistant sent me. Nice girl, Ellie.”

“Yeah. Remind me to give her a raise when we get back to Diamond City.” He sighed irritably and added, “and a good, long talking to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had this written a WHILE ago, but chapter 5 kept fighting me. So y'all get a double post!
> 
> No word on chapter 7 though. Sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> My first posted fic ever, please leave feedback. Feel free to check out on tumblr at mypunkpansexualtwin, all tagged as "ff cold comfort". Happy reading!


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